We provide consultancy and advice in any area of International Trade or Shipping. We are ideally positioned to offer assistance, local knowledge or full-blown in-depth studies on all aspects of Trading and Shipping.
Some of the areas in which we can assist you are:
We look at your entire trading operations and identify areas that could be handled more efficiently, either in terms of time or cost.
An Oil Trader frequently called us for assistance with their Vessel Operations caused by repeated issues relating to their Letters of Credit.
Having read several of their previous contracts it was clear that the wording of their Payment Clauses left them solely liable for all consequences caused by late arrival of Vessels. We recommended completely rewriting the terms to ensure the contract worked for rather than against them. In turn we also recommended amending a number of other Clauses, thus reducing the number of delivery problems experienced with customers and vastly decreasing the number of demurrage and other claims received.
We offer a range of services that are available to Trading Companies’ shipping departments and to pure Shipping Companies.
We are experienced in working with dry and liquid shipping.
An expanding Coal Trading Company contacted us asking they could restructure their Chartering Department into a stand-alone Shipping Company to act as a profit centre and handle third party business.
We proposed and set-up a structure to act as a third party ship operator while at the same time fulfilling the needs of the Trading Company. It was important to ensure maximum efficiencies between the two whilst limiting their financial liabilities in the event of any sizeable legal claims. The Shipping Company now has a number of vessels under Time-Charter subsequently re-let on their own Standard Terms, and has seen an improved relationship with Owners along with reduced operating costs arisen from the streamlining of operations.
With our excellent understanding of Commodity Trading, we are ideally placed to offer specific advice regarding your insurance requirements.
Whether you are a small company needing insurance for the first time or a large multinational looking to ensure that you have the best and most cost effective insurance for your needs, we are here to advise you.
CLAIMS:
We have a team who can handle your insurance claims in a professional and efficient manner. Our services range from constitution of insurance claims to full handling of claims and immediate reaction.
ADVICE:
Even if you are simply looking to improve the cover that you already have in place, we can offer detailed advice to assist you in improving your loss ratio, implementing loss prevention and reducing your premiums over time.
PLACEMENT:
HR Maritime is partnered with the insurance broker Forsea’s SA for all insurance matters.
Please see the insurance section of our site.
A niche Fertiliser Business with occasional need for cargo insurance contacted us for advice on their insurance policy and the day to day managing of it. They enjoyed their relationship with their present brokers but preferred to have a second opinion to ensure they were well covered.
After a complete analysis of their business and their existing policy, we were able to recommend several clarifications to their policy and slight changes to their business which resulted in a much better understanding of their policy, an improvement of their daily management of files while considering future files and an improvement of their relationship with their broker due to a better understanding of the terms in use.
With our long-term experience within trading companies and our excellent contacts with Trade Finance Banks in Geneva, we can advise you on the best way to handle your financing needs.
An Iron-Ore Trader in Asia contacted us for guidance on how to expand their financing options within Europe.
Choosing to take advantage of our network in Geneva we arranged a host of introductions over a 48 hour period with a number of potential financiers. The client now has credit lines with several 1st Class European Banks which has allowed them to consolidate business in an otherwise very depressed market. Using Geneva based banks has also provided access to cheaper financing costs than were previously available in their home market.
We can make this happen in a few hours
Under the authority of leading ship-owners and through the recommendation of major trade finance banks in Geneva, we are able to issue replacement Bills of Lading both in Switzerland and elsewhere as necessary.
A major Ship Owner contacted us asking if we could issue replacement Bills of Lading on their behalf, as a result of a request by their Charterers whose financing bank is based in Switzerland. The intention being to change the shippers to avoid the final buyer identifying the original supplier.
In coordination with both Cargo Interests and Vessel Owners we contacted the financing bank and asked them to give up the old set of Bills of Lading to us for cancellation, on receipt of a newly issued replacement set. Fully authorised by the Vessel Captain to sign on his behalf, we issued and signed new sets of Bills of Lading, having cancelled the old, always ensuring no 2 sets of Bills of Lading were in circulation at any one time. Owners were protected in this delicate matter and Cargo Interests were able to present the new set of Bills of Lading to their Buyers, with absolutely no details mentioned of who they purchased their cargo from.