The agency income is meager, but the value of the goods is huge. The risk faced may
be far greater than their assets, often at the edge of the cliff walk freight forwarding
enterprise should be how to avoid the risk?
Freight forwarders as a service industry, its purpose is to help the two sides of
international trade formulate the best cargo transportation plan, and deliver products
safely and timely to the destination, which is the designer and organizer of international
freight transport. Along with the economic and trade exchanges between Chinese and
Belt and Road Initiative along the country's increasingly close, increasing demand for
transport, international freight forwarding service demand diversification trend. The
increase of the association of freight forwarders in the transportation business has also
brought about the increase of service risk. During the operation of agency business, the
failure of internal process control, human errors and external accidents can cause direct
or indirect losses.
With the gradual improvement of the legal environment and the gradual improvement of
the accountability system, after the loss, the freight forwarders will soon be faced with the
claim of the owner. At the same time, the owner of the initiative often shirk the
responsibility of the freight forwarders, and the freight forwarders often undertake many
uncertain "or responsible" risks. The direct responsibility and "or the responsibility"
constitute the "responsibility risk", which runs through the service process of the freight
forwarder.
Four common "liability risk"
For the goods generation enterprises with less assets, the income of each ticket is
meager, but the value of the goods is huge. The risk that the enterprise faces in the
operation may be far greater than its own assets. Therefore, the risk of responsibility is the
greatest risk of the freight forwarder. The insurance brokers concluded that the liability risk
of freight forwarders mainly includes loss and loss of goods, errors and negligence, third
party responsibilities, fines and duties.
The liability for loss of goods by sea is the most common. For example, a non ship carrier
Enterprise in Shanghai issued a bill of lading carrying 118 barrels of chemicals to
Hamburg, Germany. The arrival of the goods at the port of destination upon opening,
found in the container leaked chemicals. The insurance company survey, a total of 35
barrels of chemicals for "total loss", the other 83 barrels of re packaging can be taken after
the consignee. Finally, the consignee of NVOCC claims $20 thousand as additional
damage, packing expenses and compensation for economic losses.
The operation error and negligence of the freight forwarder or the NVOCC are also the
common types of liability risk. Including contract delays, occurrence delivery error (such
as "delivery of goods without B / L"), documents or other shipping documents to fill in error
leads to damage etc.. For example, a total of 80 boxes of fashion magazines are shipped
from Hongkong to Sydney, Australia, and are sold locally. Due to the mistake of
documents transfer, the goods failed to match the fastest ship to Sydney port, resulting in
two weeks' delay. When the magazine arrived at Sydney port, it had already passed the
sales deadline. To this end, the consignor claims a total of $100 thousand for all freight,
goodwill and other economic losses to the freight forwarder. This is a typical case of delay
in goods.
The third party's liability is often accompanied by accidents, often resulting in direct
economic losses, and sometimes personal casualties. Hongkong port has completed a
batch of toxic chemicals yellow phosphorus from Haikou to Italy's transfer and reverse
business. Due to improper system, yellow phosphorus leaked from the container and
exposed to air and spontaneous combustion. The captain and crew on the ship to save
thousands of containers, to fire with water storage, resulting in a large number of
container and goods all wet. Freight forwarding company claims more than $1 million 500
thousand, including the third party liability, damage, damage to ship and marine pollution
etc.. And when the accident causes personal injury, the amount of claim may be higher.
Fines and tariffs are also the risk of common responsibility. Mainly by the freight forwarder
(NVOCC) violation of goods, transport, equipment import and export regulations, in
violation of immigration immigration regulations, provide a safe working environment in
violation of regulations, in violation of security or anti-terrorism regulations, in violation of
the regulations to prevent pollution caused by the. In Brazil, customs regulations are
extremely strict, and all documents are punished with heavy fines. The penalty amount is
up to 50% of the price, plus 37.5% additional tax. There were two votes of the same goods
transported to Hongkong from Brazil two locations, because the negligence of the label
was wrongly posted, and the two tickets were eventually fined tens of thousands of dollars.
"Liability insurance" + active precaution
In addition to the above liability risk, the handling of liability risks will also bring additional
costs. For example, after the accident, the enterprise in order to avoid or reduce the losses and
costs incurred; accident investigation and protection of the interests of the legal fees, inspection
fees or expert consulting fees; the extra cost of goods, property, processing equipment for inspection
and quarantine, fumigation and disinfection; cost; the extra cost of the goods transported to the
right from the wrong place to when the general average salvage; or take the cost allocation, and
unable to obtain compensation from the owner part; the consignee refused the goods and produce
additional expenses etc..
According to the experience, the additional costs caused by these incidents are complicated and
difficult to deal with. Freight forwarders are easily dragged into the mire. Insurance experts
pointed out that the liability insurance is an international freight forwarding sound business
talisman shield liability disputes, maintain the relationship between the owner of stabilizer.
On the one hand, "liability insurance" is in line with management policy, is an effective way
to safeguard its own interests and achieve sound operation, and promote enterprises to maintain
an advantage in the industry shuffling. On the other hand, the insurance company officially
recognized, responsible for the accident, can avoid or alleviate the contradiction and the
responsibility of the customer disputes, help maintain customer relationships, increase the
chance of canvassing.
Of course, assuming insurance obligations, it is also meant to strengthen the awareness of risk
management and reduce the chance of accident. Insurance is important, and it is more important
to guard against risk. In the common liability risk, the liability for loss and the third liability
of marine cargo is mostly caused by accidents. Freight forwarding enterprises can identify the
distribution of accidents as much as possible in the agency contract. Freight forwarding operation
negligence, fines and duties and other "responsibility risks" are mostly their own reasons.
We should strengthen details management and control in daily management and increase staff's sense
of responsibility. The risk can be reduced to a minimum.
Myonline insurance brokers is a company with rich experience in insurance service. There are more
than 10000 service companies. If businesses need to insure freight forwarder liability insurance,
or they need other kinds of insurance in operation, they can consult free association.