I. General Terms and Conditions                 

These General Terms and Conditions of trade govern the standard content of contracts for transportation services between THREE STARS LTD, UIC 103612103, with domicile and registered office at 46, Rayko Zhinzifov Str., Varna 9000 and its shippers, clients and subcontractors.
When you order international, inland (road) transportation from THREE STARS LTD, you enter into a contract with your rights and obligations and those of THREE STARS LTD established in the internal general terms and conditions according to the type of transport.

1. When a written quotation is received by email, the client is obliged to become acquainted with the conditions specified thereto for the organization and conduct of international maritime transport, as well as with the provided general terms and conditions for all accompanying services.
2. The quoted prices are valid for the stated period of validity and only in the case that the container operator is able to provide the necessary empty equipment at the place of loading specified by the client.
3. The Container operator reserves its right, with and without warning, to make changes to the schedule, route and dates of departure of the vessel, arrival at the transhipment port, as well as arrival at the final destination. The carrier does not accept commitments for delivery times and delivery on a fixed date.
4. The delivery of the consignee’s cargo at the final destination is subject to presentation of a complete set of duly endorsed original bills of lading unless there are written instructions for cargo release without the original bill of lading (telex release) or an issued waybill (a bill of lading without the original hard copy).
5. THREE STARS LTD, as well as all agents of COSCO SHIPPING LINES, accept the cargo as submitted by the booking party (the shipper) without verifying the truthfulness and completeness of the declared data for description, quantity, weight, type of package, tariff codes, etc. The booking party (the shipper) is fully responsible for the incorrect or incomplete declaration of the goods indicated in the documents. In case of penalties to THREE STARS LTD by the Container operator - COSCO SHIPPING LINES, customs authorities, phytosanitary authorities, as well as any other institutions, the same will be referred to the booking party/consignee/shipper of the transport. Any additional costs incurred as a result of the above will be referred to the booking party/consignee/shipper of the transport.
6. The booking party (the shipper) of the transport bears full responsibility for the stuffing and lashing of the cargo in the container provided to it. Poor arrangement of goods, as well as poor lashing, can lead to container damage, as well as charging of additional fines and fees at the transshipment and final port.
7. The transfer of the cargo to the consignee is made after payment of all amounts due for the organization of maritime transport to the port of destination, local costs as per the quote provided, as well as any additional costs for storage, demurrage, customs inspections, etc., unless otherwise agreed by an agreement signed. All bank charges are at the payer’s expense.
8. THREE STARS LTD recommends conclusion of cargo insurance during sea transportation. Where the responsibility of the Forwarder arises from the mandatory provisions of laws and conventions that cannot be amended or cancelled by a contract, the compensation due is determined in accordance with the provisions of those laws and conventions.
In all other cases, compensation for damage from loss of goods and damage to the goods is limited to:
    8.1. SDR 2,00 per kilogram gross weight missing/damaged goods, but not exceeding SDR 666,67 per parcel or consignment, for carriage by water, as well as for combined carriage in international shipping that involves water as part of the route, where the location of the occurrence of loss of or damage to the goods cannot be determined.
    8.2. SDR 8.33 per kilogram gross weight missing/damaged goods for carriage by road, rail and/or air in international shipping.
The carrier bears no responsibility in case of force majeure circumstances.
9. THREE STARS LTD reserves its right to make corrections to its quotations in case of occurrence of changes beyond their control regarding the value of the transport service and/or delivery service.
10. In case of incorrectly declared weight of a container for import and export, charges for terminal operations are tripled.
11. For international maritime transport, shippers are required to become acquainted with the general terms and conditions of transport of COSCO CONTAINER LINES, available on the back of each page of the Bill of Lading for maritime transport (MBL). Upon confirmation of the bill of lading and acceptance of the container for stuffing, the said terms and conditions are deemed to have been approved and accepted by the booking party/shipper.
12. In case that the provided quotation for maritime transport is accepted and the transport is organized, all the above terms and conditions are deemed to have been accepted without question.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
II. Additional conditions for organizing international maritime transport for IMPORT

13. The shipping line agent THREE STARS LTD notifies in writing (by email) the goods’ consignees as per the bill of lading before the ship arrives at the port of destination, according to the contact forms in the Bill of lading for maritime transport. The notification of arrival is for informational purposes only and THREE STARS LTD bears no responsibility for any costs incurred due to fees for delayed container release. It is the responsibility of every consignee to track and inform themselves about the movement of their goods.
14. In case the deadline for providing a description of the goods in Bulgarian language is not met and/or the description required for the customs authorities is provided incorrectly/incompletely, all fines and fees incurred are at the expense of the declarer/consignee of the goods or their representatives.
15. In the event that information and documents are not provided within the statutory period and the customs clearance of the goods is hindered within 90 days, full responsibility is borne before the Customs officials and all expenses incurred in connection with the undertaken measures and actions of the customs officials should be reimbursed to THREE STARS LTD under Article 199 of the Union Customs Code (UCC) (Regulation 952/2013).


III. Additional conditions for organizing international maritime transport for EXPORT

16. The shipper as per the bill of lading is obliged to declare in writing before THREE STARS LTD the verified gross mass (VGM) of the container, as well as instructions for the bill of lading not later than 48 hours before the ship arrives at the port of loading. THREE STARS LTD bears no responsibility for incorrectly submitted instructions and VGM.
17. Customs clearance of goods is a responsibility of the shipper unless otherwise agreed.
18. ESD (Exit Summary Declaration) is a commitment of the exporter of the goods unless otherwise agreed. In case of omission, the ESD is submitted by THREE STARS LTD, for which a fee of EUR 25/declaration is charged.
19. When using wooden parts and/or packaging, compliance with the international standards for phytosanitary measures ISPM No.15 is the responsibility of the shipper/exporter of the goods.
20. In case of a letter of credit, the requirements for issuing a bill of lading should be negotiated with THREE STARS LTD before stuffing the container. Otherwise, THREE STARS LTD, as well as COSCO CONTAINER LINES, are not responsible for any delays in the vessel’s departure or container release.
21. Original bills of lading (MBL) are issued after the vessel’s departure from the port of destination.
22. All payments on the quotation for maritime transport, local fees and other services provided are due prior to the delivery of the original bill of lading for maritime transport unless otherwise agreed.


IV. Additional conditions for organizing international maritime transport with specialized equipment - Open top, Flat rack, Reefer containers

23. Rate quotation is valid and applies only to the specified weights and dimensions - L x W x H. The price is subject to update in case of any difference from the dimensions initially stated.
24. Repositioning of empty special equipment by land or sea is performed only upon prior order. In case the booking party cancels its order, all costs for repositioning at the port of loading or the place of loading specified are payable.
25. In case of road transportation of a reefer container, a quotation for transport is drawn up without the use of the GENSET diesel generator to maintain the temperature regime in the container. In case a GENSET is required, this should be requested and paid additionally.


V. Additional conditions for organizing land road transport

26. The quoted prices do not include VAT, which is charged when issuing an invoice according to the requirements of the Bulgarian legislation.
27. The quote for road transport does not include the fees listed below:
      27.1. Parking fee on the territory of the customs offices
      27.2. Costs for loading and unloading activities
      27.3. Services of customs clearance of goods
      27.4. A fee for keeping the vehicle outside the hours provided for loading and unloading and customs clearance of goods
      27.5. Fees for customs inspections at border crossing points, starting or ending points of loading/unloading operations, as well as any other additional fees incurred during the inspection of the goods by customs and/or border officials
      27.6. Cargo insurance during carriage by road
28. Payment for road transport is made when issuing an invoice, prior to the carriage unless otherwise agreed.
29. All bank charges are at the payer’s expense.
30. The maximum permissible gross weight of the freight is indicated in the road freight transport quote. In case of exceeding it, an increase shall be charged in accordance with the regulation concerning the charges for exceeding the maximum permissible laden weight of vehicles.
31. The quotation implies free access and normal accessibility of heavy goods vehicles at the loading and delivery addresses. In the cases of restricted access and specific location features that impede access and require additional transport arrangements, the quotation is subject to update, according to the conditions of the loading and delivery locations.
32. When using wooden parts and/or packaging, compliance with international standards for phytosanitary measures ISPM No.15 is the responsibility of the shipper/exporter of the goods.
33. The deadlines provided for stuffing and stripping the COSCO SHIPPING LINES containers are stated in the Trucking order for carriage by road, which serves as a written contract between THREE STARS LTD and the TRANSPORT BOOKING PARTY (consignee/shipper and/or its representatives). Signing the Trucking order is considered as acceptance of the terms and conditions and the prices mentioned therein and it is not subject to contest afterwards.
34. All available import and export free periods and fees for standard and special equipment are valid according to the current tariff of THREE STARS LTD, which can be provided upon request. Information on the current tariffs and conditions is sent to each client along with an arrival notice.
35. All goods that are considered and transported as hazardous under the ADR Convention must be properly packed, labelled, marked and with the necessary documents in accordance with the requirements of the current international and national regulations. The shipper/sender is obliged to provide complete and correct information on hazardous goods according to Chapter 1.4.2.1 of the ADR Convention. In case of non-compliance with the regulatory requirements concerning the processing and transportation of hazardous goods, THREE STARS LTD reserves its right to refuse transport and to claim reimbursement of additional costs incurred and/or financial penalties received.

36. Additional conditions apply to following destinations: Serbia, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, as follows:
     36.1. A deposit of EUR 5,000 per container is due until the final return of the empty equipment to a terminal designated by THREE STARS Ltd. After inspecting and establishing the condition of the equipment, the deposit is refundable within 7 working days.
    36.2. A deposit for 10 days is due for the demurrage fee per container, based on the current tariff of THREE STARS Ltd. In case demurrage occur, amount will be deducted from the deposit after the returning of the empty equipment. The rest of the amount is refundable within 7 working days.
37. The General Terms and Conditions of Trade of THREE STARS LTD are an integral part of the provided quotation for organizing international transport and are provided by a direct link in the e-mail of each employee of THREE STARS LTD, as well as published online at www.3stars.bg

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 
37. All disputes will be dealt with in a spirit of understanding and goodwill. In cases where this is not possible, they will be referred for settlement in accordance with the Bulgarian legislation. The booking party/consignee/shipper and/or their authorized representatives, being acquainted with these General Terms and Conditions, hereby declare their explicit consent for disputes arising to be under local jurisdiction and the provisions of Art. 117, par. 2 in conjunction with Art. 105 of the Civil Procedure Code, namely in case of a dispute arising, the parties explicitly declare that there is contractual local jurisdiction and competency with the court in the territory of Varna, at the domicile of THREE STARS LTD, regardless of its capacity in the proceedings – as a plaintiff or defendant.