Terms of Service
The terms and conditions governing your use of Sea Trans Services and our logistics solutions.
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY. These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("Client", "you", or "your") and Sea Trans Services LLC ("Sea Trans Services", "we", "us", or "our"), a logistics and maritime services company incorporated in the State of Florida, USA. By engaging our services, submitting a booking, or using our website, you agree to be bound by these Terms in their entirety.
1. Definitions
In these Terms, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings set out below:
2. Acceptance of Terms
These Terms are accepted and become binding upon the earliest of the following events:
- Submission of a booking, shipment instruction, or purchase order to Sea Trans Services.
- Countersigning a quotation, rate agreement, or service order issued by Sea Trans Services.
- Tendering Cargo for carriage, storage, or handling by Sea Trans Services.
- Continued use of our website or customer portal following notification of updated Terms.
If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use our services or website. By authorising a third party (such as a freight agent or customs broker) to engage Sea Trans Services on your behalf, you represent that such party is authorised to bind you to these Terms.
3. Services Provided
Sea Trans Services acts as a freight forwarder and logistics service provider. Unless expressly agreed in writing, we act as agent for the Client and not as a principal Carrier. The specific scope of Services for each Shipment is as set out in the applicable quotation or service order, and may include:
Sea Trans Services reserves the right to subcontract any or all of the Services to qualified third-party providers. We remain responsible to the Client for the performance of subcontractors to the same extent as if we had performed the Services ourselves.
4. Quotations & Booking
4.1 Quotation Validity
All quotations issued by Sea Trans Services are valid for the period specified in the quotation document. Where no validity period is stated, quotations are valid for 72 hours from the date and time of issue. Quotations are subject to carrier space availability, port congestion surcharges, fuel adjustments, and currency fluctuations that may occur after the quotation date.
4.2 Booking Confirmation
A booking is only confirmed upon written acceptance by Sea Trans Services. Verbal instructions or unconfirmed reservations do not constitute a binding booking. The Client is responsible for providing accurate cargo details — including commodity description, weight, dimensions, UN number (for DG cargo), and special handling requirements — at the time of booking.
4.3 Amendments & Cancellations
Amendments to confirmed bookings are subject to Carrier approval and may incur amendment fees. Cancellations of confirmed bookings will be subject to cancellation charges as notified by the relevant Carrier or service provider. The Client shall indemnify Sea Trans Services for all costs, losses, and penalties arising from inaccurate or late booking information.
4.4 Cargo Cut-Off
The Client is responsible for delivering Cargo to the specified loading port, depot, or warehouse by the cargo cut-off time confirmed at booking. Sea Trans Services accepts no liability for missed sailings or flights resulting from late cargo delivery.
5. Payment Terms
5.1 Invoicing
Sea Trans Services will issue invoices upon completion of each Shipment or at agreed billing milestones. All invoices are payable in the currency stated, within 30 days of the invoice date unless otherwise agreed in writing. Credit terms are granted at the sole discretion of Sea Trans Services and may be withdrawn at any time.
5.2 Late Payment
Invoices not paid by the due date will accrue interest at a rate of 1.5% per month (or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law, whichever is lower) from the due date until the date of actual payment. Sea Trans Services reserves the right to suspend Services and withhold delivery of Cargo for any Client with overdue balances.
5.3 Lien on Cargo
Sea Trans Services shall have a general lien on all Cargo and documents in its possession or control for all sums due from the Client, whether in respect of the current Shipment or any other outstanding amounts. Sea Trans Services may, after giving 14 days written notice to the Client, sell such Cargo at the best price reasonably obtainable and apply the proceeds to the outstanding debt.
5.4 Taxes & Duties
Unless expressly stated in the quotation, Charges do not include import duties, customs clearance fees, port levies, VAT, or any other taxes imposed by any government or authority. Such charges are the sole responsibility of the Client.
| Payment Method | Standard Terms | Accepted Currencies |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Transfer (SWIFT) | Net 30 days from invoice | USD, EUR, GBP |
| Credit Card | Prepayment required | USD, EUR |
| Letter of Credit | As per LC terms | USD |
| Open Account (approved clients) | Net 30–60 days | USD, EUR, GBP |
6. Liability & Limitations
Important Notice
Sea Trans Services acts as a freight forwarder and arranges carriage with third-party Carriers. The liability of Carriers is governed by their own terms and conditions and applicable international conventions. Our liability as agent is limited as set out below.
6.1 Maximum Liability
Where Sea Trans Services is found liable to the Client as freight forwarder, our maximum aggregate liability for any single event or series of related events shall not exceed the lesser of: (a) the value of the Cargo as declared on the commercial invoice; or (b) USD 500,000; or (c) two times the freight charges paid for the specific Shipment giving rise to the claim.
6.2 Exclusions from Liability
Sea Trans Services shall not be liable for any loss, damage, delay, or expense arising from or in connection with:
- Acts or omissions of the Client, shipper, consignee, or their agents.
- Inherent vice, nature, or defect of the Cargo.
- Inadequate packing, marking, or labelling by the Client.
- Delay caused by customs examination, port congestion, or vessel schedule changes.
- Force Majeure Events as defined in Section 10.
- Loss of profit, loss of market, or any indirect or consequential loss.
- Inaccurate or incomplete information provided by the Client.
- Delay in transit due to weather, mechanical failure, or road restrictions.
6.3 Claims Procedure & Time Limits
All claims for loss or damage to Cargo must be notified in writing to Sea Trans Services within 3 days of delivery (for visible damage) or 7 days of delivery (for concealed damage). Claims for delay must be submitted within 21 days of the date on which the Cargo was or should have been delivered. No action shall be brought against Sea Trans Services after 9 months from the date of delivery or the date on which delivery should have occurred.
7. Cargo & Insurance
Sea Trans Services does not automatically insure Cargo on behalf of the Client. The Client is responsible for maintaining adequate cargo insurance for the full replacement value of their Cargo throughout all stages of transport.
7.1 Insurance Arrangement
Sea Trans Services can arrange marine cargo insurance on the Client's behalf upon written request. Insurance will be arranged on Institute Cargo Clauses (A) terms unless otherwise specified. The Client remains responsible for declaring an accurate cargo value and providing all information necessary for the insurer to assess the risk.
7.2 Client's Responsibility
Where the Client elects not to purchase cargo insurance through Sea Trans Services, the Client acknowledges that the Carrier's liability is limited by applicable international conventions (e.g., the Hague-Visby Rules for ocean freight, the Montreal Convention for air freight) and that these limits may be substantially less than the commercial value of the Cargo.
7.3 Declared Value
The Client warrants that all cargo values declared to Sea Trans Services, Carriers, and insurers are true and accurate. Sea Trans Services accepts no liability for underinsurance arising from an inaccurate or understated cargo value.
8. Dangerous Goods
The Client must identify and declare all dangerous goods (DG) at the time of booking. By tendering DG cargo, the Client warrants that:
- The cargo has been correctly classified, packaged, marked, labelled, and documented in accordance with the IMDG Code (ocean), IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (air), or ADR (road) as applicable.
- A complete Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD) or Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) has been prepared by a certified DG shipper.
- The Client accepts sole liability for any loss, damage, contamination, delay, or fine arising from the incorrect declaration or mis-classification of dangerous goods.
- Sea Trans Services reserves the right to refuse, return, or destroy dangerous goods at the Client's expense if they present an imminent safety risk.
Warning: Failure to declare dangerous goods is a criminal offence under international and national transport law. The Client shall indemnify and hold harmless Sea Trans Services from all penalties, fines, claims, and costs arising from the undeclared or misdeclared shipment of dangerous goods.
9. Customs & Compliance
9.1 Client's Obligations
The Client is responsible for ensuring that all Cargo complies with the import, export, and transit laws and regulations of every country through which the Cargo passes. The Client warrants that all documentation provided to Sea Trans Services — including commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, and licences — is accurate, complete, and legally compliant.
9.2 Customs Declarations
Where Sea Trans Services files customs declarations on the Client's behalf as a customs broker, it does so on the basis of information and documents provided by the Client. The Client authorises Sea Trans Services to act as declarant and accepts full responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying information. Sea Trans Services shall not be liable for any duties, taxes, penalties, or fines arising from inaccurate information provided by the Client.
9.3 Sanctions Screening
Sea Trans Services is required to comply with all applicable trade sanctions laws, including those administered by OFAC, the EU, the UN, and other relevant authorities. We reserve the right to refuse or suspend Services where a transaction involves sanctioned parties, destinations, or commodities, without liability to the Client.
9.4 Export Controls
The Client is responsible for obtaining all export licences, permits, and authorisations required under applicable export control laws (including US EAR, ITAR, and EU Dual-Use Regulations). Sea Trans Services will not knowingly facilitate the export of controlled items without the required licence documentation.
10. Force Majeure
Sea Trans Services shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations where such failure or delay results from a Force Majeure Event, including but not limited to:
If a Force Majeure Event continues for more than 60 days, either party may terminate the affected Service Order on 14 days written notice without liability to the other party, save for amounts already due and payable. Sea Trans Services will notify the Client promptly upon becoming aware of a Force Majeure Event and will use commercially reasonable efforts to minimise its impact on the Client's Shipments.
11. Intellectual Property
All content on the Sea Trans Services website — including text, graphics, logos, icons, images, and software — is the exclusive property of Sea Trans Services LLC or its content suppliers and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws.
You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, or exploit any content from our website without our prior written consent.
Sea Trans Services grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable licence to access and use our customer portal solely for the purpose of managing your logistics operations with us.
Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas submitted by you to Sea Trans Services may be used by us without restriction or compensation to you.
12. Termination
Either party may terminate a Service Order or ongoing logistics arrangement by providing 30 days written notice to the other party. In addition, Sea Trans Services may terminate any arrangement with immediate effect and without liability if:
- The Client fails to pay any amount due within 14 days of the due date.
- The Client becomes insolvent, enters administration, receivership, or liquidation.
- The Client breaches any material obligation under these Terms and fails to remedy such breach within 7 days of written notice.
- Continued performance would require Sea Trans Services to violate any applicable law, regulation, or sanctions requirement.
- The Client is found to have provided materially false or misleading information in connection with any Shipment or booking.
On termination, all amounts outstanding shall become immediately due and payable. Sea Trans Services shall have no obligation to release Cargo held under lien until all outstanding amounts have been settled in full.
13. Dispute Resolution
The parties shall attempt to resolve any dispute arising under or in connection with these Terms through good-faith negotiation. If a dispute cannot be resolved within 30 days of written notice by either party, it shall be referred to the following process:
Direct Negotiation
Senior representatives of both parties meet (in person or by video) within 15 business days to attempt resolution.
Mediation
If negotiation fails, either party may refer the dispute to non-binding mediation administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Commercial Mediation Procedures.
Binding Arbitration
Disputes not resolved by mediation shall be finally settled by binding arbitration under the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules, with a single arbitrator, conducted in Miami, Florida.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Sea Trans Services reserves the right to seek injunctive relief or recovery of undisputed outstanding invoices through any court of competent jurisdiction without prior recourse to mediation or arbitration.
14. Governing Law
These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, United States of America, without regard to its conflict of law principles.
To the extent that any Shipment is subject to an international convention (such as the Hague-Visby Rules, the Hamburg Rules, the Montreal Convention, or the CMR Convention), the provisions of such convention shall apply to that Shipment and shall take precedence over these Terms to the extent of any conflict.
15. Changes to Terms
Sea Trans Services reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. When material changes are made, we will:
- Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
- Notify existing clients by email at least 30 days prior to the effective date of material changes.
- Display a notice on our website homepage for 30 days following any update.
Continued use of our Services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not accept the revised Terms, you must notify us in writing and cease using our Services.
16. Contact Us
For questions, clarifications, or legal notices relating to these Terms of Service, please contact us using the details below:
Legal Department
Sea Trans Services LLC
1428 Harbor Drive
Miami, FL 33101
United States
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