WEST FORWARDING INSURANCE

ResourcesWe do our utmost to prevent cargo damage throughout the transit of your shipment. However, like all freight forwarders, WEST relies on 3rd parties to transport your goods.

Unfortunately, cargo is sometimes damaged while in transit, and carriers have limited their liability for goods in their possession.

It falls on you to prove that the carrier was negligent in order to be compensated for lost or damaged cargo. Once you prove negligence, you still can only recover amounts as outlined below.

• For ocean cargo, the limit of liability is $500 per customary shipping unit.
• For air cargo, the limit of liability is 22SDR per kilogram. (An SDR is a fluctuating unit of currency defined by the International Monetary Fund. As of April 2020, one SDR equaled 1.37 USD.)
• For domestic trucked cargo, the limit of liability in many cases can be as low as $0.03 per pound.
An SDR is a fluctuating unit of currency defined by the International Monetary Fund. As of October 2018, one SDR equaled 1.38 USD.

These limits of liability can leave you in a situation where compensation for a total loss is mere pennies of the total value of your shipment. WEST Forwarding strongly urges its clients to insure their cargo.

Whether you have your own cargo policy or wish to purchase optional insurance offered by WEST, it can often protect you to a much greater extent than any carrier’s limit of liability.

CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE