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These terms
and conditions must be read having regard to the provisions of the
Trade Practices Act to the extent that those provisions are applicable
to consumers as defined under section 4B of that Act. These terms
and conditions do not have the effect of excluding, restricting
or modifying rights under that Act which cannot be excluded, restricted
or modified by agreement.
1. (a) All and
any business undertaken by Seafast Pty Ltd (hereinafter called "the
Company") is transacted subject to these conditions each of
which shall be deemed to be incorporated in and to be a condition
of any agreement between the Company and its customers. The Company
only deals with goods subject to these conditions. The Company is
not a common carrier and shall accept no liability as such;
(b) The Company in its sole and absolute discretion may refuse to
deal with any goods without assigning any reason therefore.
2. Any instructions
given to the Company may in the absolute discretion of the Company
be complied with by the Company as agent for the customer as disclosed
principal or by the Company as principal contractor by its own servants
performing part or all of the relevant services or by the Company
employing or instructing or entrusting the goods to others on such
other conditions as they may stipulate to perform part or all of
the services. The customer shall be bound by such other conditions
and shall release the Company from liability and indemnify the Company
against any claims arising out of their acceptance.
3. Customers
entering into transactions of any kind with the Company expressly
warrant that they are either the owners or the authorised agents
of the owners of any and all goods or property the subject matter
of the transaction. By entering into the transaction they accept
these conditions for themselves and for all other parties on whose
behalf they are acting and they warrant that they have authority
so to do.
4. Subject to
express instructions in writing given by the customer and by the
Company, the Company reserves to itself complete freedom of choice
of means route and procedure to be followed in the handling and
transportation of goods. If in the Company's opinion it is necessary
or desirable in the customer's interests to depart from any express
instructions, the Company shall be at liberty to do so.
5.Except where
the Company is instructed in writing to pack the goods the customer
warrants that all goods have been properly and sufficiently packed
and/or prepared.
6.The Company
is entitled to retain and be paid all brokerages, commissions, allowances
and other remunerations retained by or paid to Ship Forwarding Agents
(or Freight Forwarders) and Insurance Brokers.
7. Quotations
are given on the basis of immediate acceptance and subject to the
right of withdrawal before acceptance and revision after acceptance.
If any changes occur in the rates of customs, duty, freight, warehousing,
insurance premiums or other charges applicable to the goods, quotations
and charges shall be subject to revision accordingly with or without
notice.
8. The customer,
and the senders, owners and consignees of any goods and their agents,
if any shall be deemed to be bound by and to warrant the accuracy
of all descriptions, values and other particulars furnished to the
Company for customs consular and other purposes and shall jointly
and severally indemnify the Company against all losses, damages,
expenses and fines arising from any inaccuracy or omission, even
if such inaccuracy or omission is not due to any negligence, wilful
act or omission.
9. The customer
and the senders, owners and consignees and their agents, if any,
shall be jointly and severally liable for any duty, tax, impost,
excise, levy, penalty, deposit or outlay of whatsoever nature levied
by any Government or the authorities at any port or place in connection
with the goods and for any payments, fines, expenses, loss or damage
incurred or sustained by the Company in connection therewith and
shall indemnify the Company, its servants and agents from all claims
by third parties howsoever arising in connection with the goods.
10. When goods
are accepted or dealt with upon instructions to collect freight,
duties, charges or other expenses from the consignee or any other
person the customer shall remain responsible for the same if they
are not paid by such consignee or other person.
11. (1) The
Company's charges to the customers including freight shall be deemed
fully earned
on receipt of the goods by the Company and shall be paid and non-returnable
in any event, cargo lost or not lost or a voyage or flights broken
up or abandoned. If there shall be a forced interruption or abandonment
of a voyage or flight at the port or airport of shipment or elsewhere,
any forwarding of the goods or any part thereof shall be at the
risk and expense of the customer and the senders, owners and consignees.
(2) All unpaid
charges shall be paid in full and without any offset, counterclaim
or deduction, in the currency of the place of receipt of the goods
or at the Company's option, in the currency of the place of delivery
at the TT selling rate in effect on the day of payment. If the date
determined above falls on a day which banks are closed for business,
the rate ruling on the next succeeding business day shall govern.
(3) The Company's
charges including freight have been calculated on the basis of particulars
furnished by, or on behalf of the customer. The Company may at any
time open any container or any other package or unit in order to
re-weigh, re-measure or re-value the contents and if the particulars
furnished by or on behalf of the customer are incorrect, it is agreed
that a sum equal to either five times the difference between the
correct freight and the freight charged, or double the correct freight
less the freight charged, whichever sum is smaller, shall be payable
as liquidated damages to the Company.
12. No insurance will be effected except upon express instructions
as to the risks to be insured against and the value or values to
be declared in writing by the customer and all insurances effected
by the Company subject to the usual exceptions and conditions of
the policies of the insurance company or underwriters accepting
the risk. The Company shall not be under any obligation to effect
a separate insurance on each consignment but may declare it on any
open or general policy. Should the insurers dispute their liability
for any reason the insured shall have recourse against the insurers
only and the Company shall not be under any responsibility or liability
in relation thereto, notwithstanding that the premium upon the policy
may not be at the same rate as that charged by the Company or paid
to the Company by its customer.
13. The Company
shall not be liable:
(a) for loss of or damage to goods unless such loss or damage occurs
whilst the goods are in the actual custody of the Company and under
its actual control and unless such loss or damage is due to the
wilful neglect or default of the Company or its own servants;
(b) for any delay in delivery, forwarding or transit or failure
to deliver goods, any deterioration, contamination, evaporation
or any consequential loss or loss of market however caused;
(c) for failure to follow instructions given to it by or on behalf
of the customer whether or not such failure is wilful;
(d) for any damage or expense arising from or in any way connected
with marks, numbers, brands, contents, quality or description of
any goods;
(e) for loss or damage resulting from fire, water, explosion or
theft whether caused by negligence of the Company's servants or
otherwise;
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(a) The Company shall not be liable under any circumstances for
loss or damage resulting from or attributable to any quotation,
statement, representation or information whether oral or in writing
howsoever, wheresoever or to whomsoever made or given by or on behalf
of the Company or by any servant, employee or agent of the Company
as to the classification of the liability for or the amount, scale
or rate of customs and/or excise duty or other impost, tax or rate
applicable to any goods or property whatsoever.
(b) The Company does not accept responsibility or liability in relation
to any decision taken or liability incurred on the basis of any
such quotation, statement, representation or information.
15. Liability
of the Company arising out of any one incident whether or not there
has been any declaration of value of the goods, for breach of warranty
implied into these terms and conditions by the Trade Practices Act
1974 or howsoever arising, is limited to any of the following as
determined by the Company:
(a) the supplying of the services again; or
(b) the payment of the cost of having the services supplied again;
or
(c) the lesser of A$200.00 for loss of or damage to any such goods,
packages or units or A$2.00 per kilogram of the gross weight for
loss of or damage to any such goods, packages or units or A$20.00
per package or unit lost or damaged.
For the purposes
of this clause the word "package" shall include the contents
even if particulars have been provided or incorporated in any document
of the Company.
16. The Company
shall be discharged of all liability unless suit is brought in the
proper forum and written notice thereof received by the Company
within six months after delivery of the goods or the date when the
goods should have been delivered. In the event that the said time
period shall be found contrary to any Convention or law compulsorily
applicable the period prescribed by such Convention or law shall
then apply but in that circumstance only.
17. (a) In the case of carriage by sea, the value will not be declared
or inserted in the Bill of Lading for the purpose of extending the
Ship owners' liability under Article IV Rule 5(a) of Schedule 1
of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1991 except upon express instructions
given in writing by the customer.
(b) In the
case of Carriage by Air, no optional declaration of value to increase
the Air Carriers liability under the Carriage by Civil Aviation
(Carrier's Liability) Act 1959, Article 22(2) of Schedule 1 as amended
by Schedule 2 will be made except upon express instructions given
in writing by the customer;
(c) In all
other cases where there is a choice of tariff rates according to
the extent of the liability assumed by carriers warehousemen or
others no declaration of value (where optional) will be made for
the purposes of extending liability and goods will be forwarded
or dealt with at owners risk or other minimum charges unless express
instructions in writing to the contrary are given by the customer.
18. Instructions
to collect payment on delivery (COD) in cash or otherwise are accepted
by the Company upon the condition that the Company in the matter
of such collection will be liable for the exercise of reasonable
diligence and care only.
19.Perishable
goods, which are not taken up immediately upon arrival or which
are insufficiently addressed or marked or otherwise not identifiable
may be sold or otherwise disposed of without any notice to the customer
and payment or tender of the net proceeds of any sale after deduction
of charges shall be equivalent to delivery. All charges and expenses
arising in connection with the sale or disposal of the goods shall
be paid by the customer.
20. Non-perishable
goods which cannot be delivered either because they are insufficiently
or incorrectly addressed or because they are not collected or accepted
by the consignee may be sold or returned at the Company's option
at any time after the expiration of 21 days from a notice in writing
sent to the address which the customer gave to the Company on delivery
of the goods. All charges and expenses arising in connection with
the sale or return of the goods shall be paid by the customer. A
communication from any agent or correspondent of the Company to
the effect that the goods cannot be delivered for any reason shall
be conclusive evidence of that fact.
21. Except under
special arrangements previously made in writing the Company will
not accept or deal with any noxious, dangerous, hazardous or inflammable
or explosive goods or any goods likely to cause damage. Any person
delivering such goods to the Company or causing the Company to handle
or deal with any such goods (except under special arrangements previously
made in writing) shall be liable for all loss or damage caused thereby
and shall indemnify the Company against all penalties claims damages
costs and expenses arising in connection therewith and the goods
may be destroyed or otherwise dealt with at the sole discretion
of the Company or any other person in whose custody they may be
at the relevant time. If such goods are accepted under arrangements
previously made in writing they may nevertheless be so destroyed
or otherwise dealt with if they become dangerous to other goods
or property. The expression "goods likely to cause damage"
includes goods likely to harbour or encourage vermin or other pests
and all such goods as fall within the definition of hazardous and
dangerous goods in the legislation governing cartage by road or
rail in the States and Territories of Australia.
22. Except under
special arrangements previously made in writing the Company will
not accept bullion, coins, precious stones, jewellery, valuables,
antiques, pictures, livestock or plants and the Company will not
accept any liability whatever for any such goods except under special
arrangements previously made in writing.
23.Pending forwarding
and delivery goods may be warehoused or otherwise held at any place
or places at the sole discretion of the Company at the customers
or owner's risk and expense.
24.All goods
and documents relating to goods shall be subject to a particular
and general lien for moneys due either in respect of such goods
or any particular or general balance of other moneys due from the
customer, the senders, owners or consignee to the Company. If any
moneys due to the Company are not paid within one calendar month
after notice has been given to the person from whom the moneys are
due that such goods are detained, they may be sold by auction or
otherwise at the sole discretion of the Company and at the expense
of such person and the proceeds applied in or towards satisfaction
of such particular and general lien.
25. (a) By entering
into any agreement to which these conditions apply, the customer
on his own behalf and as agent of the owner, sender and consignee
agrees and further offers to limit the liability of all servants,
employees and agents of the Company in respect to the goods and
subject to the agreement to the extent that each such servant, employee
and agent shall be protected by and entitled to the full benefit
of all provisions in these conditions excluding or restricting tortious
liability of any kind;
(b) The offer hereinbefore referred to shall be accepted by the
act of each such servant employee or agent in performing any function
in relation to or affecting the goods the subject of the agreement;
(c) For the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this clause
the Company is and shall be deemed to be acting as agent on behalf
of and trustee for the benefit of all persons who are or become
its servants employees or agents from time to time and all such
persons shall to this extent be and be deemed to be parties to the
agreement concerned.
26. In addition
to and without prejudice to the foregoing Conditions the customer
undertakes that it shall in any event indemnify the Company against
all liabilities suffered or incurred by the Company arising directly
or indirectly from or in connection with the customer's instructions
or their implementation or the goods including containers and in
particular the customer shall indemnify the Company in respect of
any liability it may be under to any servant, agent or sub-contractor,
or any haulier, carrier, warehouseman, or other person whatsoever
at any time involved with the goods arising out of any claim made
directly or indirectly against any such party by the customer or
by any sender, consignee or owner of the goods or by any person
interested in the goods or by any other person whatsoever.
27. Without
prejudice to any other Condition, the Company shall have the right
to enforce any liability of the customer under these conditions
or to recover any sums to be paid by the customer under these conditions
not only against or from the customer but also if it thinks fit
against or from the sender and/or owners and/or consignees of the
goods.
28. The use of a customer's own form shall in no way derogate from
these conditions the whole of which shall, notwithstanding anything
contained in any such form, constitute terms of the agreement so
entered into. Any provision in any such form which is contrary to
any provision of these Conditions shall to the extent of such inconsistency
be inapplicable.
29. The goods
shall be deemed to have been delivered as described unless notice
of loss or of damage to the goods indicating the general nature
of such loss or damage shall have been given in writing to the Company
or to its representative at the place of delivery before or at the
time of removal of the goods by a representative of the person entitled
to delivery thereof or if the loss or damage be not apparent within
three consecutive days thereafter.
30. No agent
or employee of the Company has the Company's authority to alter
or vary these conditions.
31. All the
rights, immunities and exemptions from liability in these terms
and conditions shall continue to have their full force and affect
in all circumstances and not withstanding any breach of this contract
or of any of these terms and conditions by the Company or any other
person entitled to the benefit of such provisions and irrespective
of whether such may constitute a fundamental breach of contract
or a breach of a fundamental term.
32. These conditions
shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
laws of the State or Territory in which this contract was
made.
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