Terms of Service

These terms

These terms govern your use of this website and any enquiry you make through it. Freight services themselves are supplied subject to our trading conditions, which are provided with every quotation and prevail over anything on this website if the two conflict.

First Base Freight Ltd is registered in United Kingdom with its principal place of business at Unit 4, Dock Approach, Southampton SO14 3QN.

Standard trading conditions

We contract as a freight forwarder under the British International Freight Association (BIFA) Standard Trading Conditions, current edition. Those conditions limit our liability and include time bars for bringing claims.

A copy is supplied with each quotation and is available on request before you book. Please read them — in particular the clauses covering liability limits, the duty to declare the nature and value of goods, and the time limits for notifying loss or damage.

Quotations and rates

Rates shown on this website, including the indicative country base rates published on country pages, are estimates for guidance only. They are not offers capable of acceptance and do not form a contract.

Freight rates move with carrier pricing, fuel costs, currency and available space. A binding rate is the one stated in a written quotation issued by us, valid for the period stated in that quotation and subject to space and equipment being available when you book.

Quotations assume cargo is as described. If the actual weight, volume, dimensions or nature of the goods differs from what you declared, the rate will be recalculated.

Your obligations

When you instruct us, you confirm that:

• You are authorised to contract on behalf of the owner of the goods.
• The description, weight, volume and value you provide are accurate and complete.
• The goods are not dangerous, prohibited or restricted unless you have declared this in writing and we have accepted it in writing.
• The goods are packed and labelled adequately for the journey and the handling it involves.
• You will provide all documentation needed for export and import clearance, accurately and on time.

Insurance

Carrier liability is limited by international convention and by our trading conditions, and is generally far less than the value of your goods. It is not insurance.

We can arrange marine cargo insurance on your behalf if you ask us to in writing before the shipment moves. Unless you do, your goods travel uninsured beyond those limited liability amounts.

Payment

Unless we have agreed credit terms in writing, charges are payable before cargo is released. We may exercise a lien over goods and documents in our possession for sums owed to us.

Charges arising after booking — including demurrage, detention, storage, customs inspection and duty — are payable by you as they are incurred, whether or not they were foreseeable at the time of quotation.

Website use

You may use this website for your own business purposes. You may not copy, scrape or republish its content commercially, attempt to gain unauthorised access to it, or use it in a way that interferes with anyone else's use.

Content on this website is provided for general information. Our guides are not legal, customs or tax advice, and you should take professional advice on your specific circumstances before acting on them.

Liability

Our liability for freight services is governed by the BIFA Standard Trading Conditions referred to above.

As to this website, we do not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud. Otherwise, and to the extent the law allows, we are not liable for loss of profit, loss of business or any indirect loss arising from your use of the site or from reliance on indicative rates published on it.

Governing law

These terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.