Shipping documentation to begin your shipping process.​

Booking Terms & Conditions

1. Applicability of Terms

Additional Free Time Value-Added Service Purchase Terms and Conditions

1. Applicability of Terms

1.1. “Carrier” refers to Pacific International Lines (Private) Limited.

1.2. “Bill of Lading Terms” means the standard terms and conditions of the Carrier’s Bill of Lading, a copy of which may be found at the Carrier’s website at https://www.pilship.com.

1.3. “Booking Terms” means the standard booking terms and conditions of the Carrier, a copy of which may be found at the Carrier’s website at https://www.pilship.com.

1.4. “Demurrage” means the sums payable by the Merchant when the Merchant holds the Carrier’s Container(s) inside the terminal, port, or depot beyond the agreed amount of Freetime.

1.5. “Detention” means the sums payable by the Merchant when the Merchant holds the Carrier’s Container(s) outside the terminal, port, or depot beyond the agreed amount of Freetime.

1.6. “Combined Detention and Demurrage” means the sums payable by the Merchant when the Merchant holds the Carrier’s Container(s) beyond the agreed amount of Freetime for the combined period inside and outside the terminal, port, or depot.

1.7. “Freetime” means the period agreed between the Carrier and the Merchant, or the period set out in the Carrier’s applicable tariff(s), for which Demurrage, Detention, and/or Combined Detention and Demurrage, as applicable, shall not be payable by the Merchant.

1.8. “Merchant” has the same meaning set out in the Bill of Lading Terms and Booking Terms. For the purposes of these terms, without prejudice to the Bill of Lading Terms and the Booking Terms, “Merchant” shall include any party purchasing the Product and/or any party confirming an order for the Product with the Carrier.

1.9. “Product” refers to the value-added service whereby the Carrier provides additional Freetime to the Merchant at an agreed additional consideration or prices, applicable at such destinations as the Carrier may determine from time to time, whereby the Merchant may select the package containing the number of such additional days the Merchant requires.

1.10. “Terms and Conditions” means this set of terms and conditions.

1.11. Unless otherwise stated herein, capitalised terms in these Terms and Conditions shall bear the same meaning as in the Bill of Lading Terms, the Booking Terms, and the Carrier’s applicable tariff.

1.12. These Terms and Conditions apply to all purchases of the Product from the Carrier. By purchasing the Product and/or confirming its purchase of the Product with the Carrier, whether through the Carrier’s online platform(s) (including but not limited to the PocketPIL platform and/or any third party platform), email, orally or through any method whatsoever, the Merchant confirms that it has read and accepted these Terms and Conditions and shall be bound by these Terms and Conditions. To the extent required, these Terms and Conditions shall logically amend, vary, and supplement the Bill of Lading Terms and Booking Terms.

2.1. The following Product options are available at such rates as may be provided by the Carrier at the time of purchase:

Freetime TypePack Denomination
Combined Detention and Demurrage5/10/15/21 Days*
Detention5/10/15/21 Days*

 

*the number of days shall be taken to refer to calendar or working days, in accordance with the applicable tariff at the port of destination and/or the applicable rules or regulations at the port of destination. If not specified in the applicable tariff or in writing by the Carrier, the number of days shall be taken to refer to calendar days.

2.2. The Product shall only be applicable for Freetime at destination. The Product is only available for certain destinations, which the Carrier may change from time to time.

2.3. Save where expressly indicated in writing by the Carrier, the Product is only available for shipments of standard (i) 20’GP containers; (ii) 40’GP containers; and (iii) 40’HC containers. The Carrier may, at its discretion, extend the availability of the Product to other types and/or classes of containers, in which case these Terms and Conditions shall apply with respect to such other types and/or classes of containers with logical amendments.

2.4. The Product only covers Detention or Demurrage charged by the Carrier at destination. For the avoidance of doubt, the Product does not include any costs and charges which the Carrier may be entitled to charge separately, including but not limited to storage costs and/or other local charges valid at time of shipment.

2.5. On the expiry of Freetime at destination, including any additional Freetime the Merchant is entitled to by purchasing the Product, the Carrier’s applicable tariff(s) at destination shall apply.

3.1. Unless otherwise agreed by the Carrier in writing, the Merchant may only purchase one pack for each booking placed with the Carrier. Products are not transferrable and a Product purchased for one booking shall not be transferred to another booking.

3.2. Upon the Merchant’s confirmation of the purchase of a Product with the Carrier, Products are not refundable and cannot be cancelled. In the event any part of any Product purchased remains unused or if there is any unused purchased Freetime, the Merchant acknowledges that it shall not be entitled to a refund of any part of the Product.

3.3. Unless expressly agreed by the Carrier in writing, Product(s) may only be purchased prior to the estimated time of departure (ETD) of the relevant vessel from the port of loading. The additional Freetime cannot be removed, added or amended upon the departure of the relevant vessel from the port of loading.

3.4. Full payment of any Product purchased shall be made in accordance with the payment terms stipulated in the Carrier’s invoice. In the event full payment has not been made within the stipulated deadline, the Merchant is not entitled any additional Freetime pursuant to the unpaid Product and that the Carrier’s applicable tariffs shall continue to apply.

3.5. Rates provided are quoted on the basis of the package and destination requested and/or declared by the Merchant at the time of purchase. Where the Merchant requests for a change of destination or other changes in the package, the Carrier reserves the right to revise any rates due pursuant to such requests for amendment. The Product and any additional Freetime purchased thereto is non-refundable and non-transferrable to the new destination requested.

3.6. Notwithstanding any provision herein, the Carrier is not bound to offer or sell any Product to the Merchant and may in its sole discretion refuse to offer or sell any Product to the Merchant.

4.1. Singapore law shall apply to these Terms and Conditions.

4.2. The Merchant irrevocably agrees that any and all disputes arising out of or in connection with the contract relating to the Product (including these Terms and Conditions), including any question regarding its existence, validity or termination, shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration seated in Singapore in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration current at the commencement of the arbitration, which rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference in this clause.

Notwithstanding the above, nothing in this clause limits the right of the Carrier to bring proceedings, including third party proceedings, against the Merchant in any other court of competent jurisdiction or arbitral tribunal, and the bringing or continuing of proceedings in any one or more jurisdictions shall not preclude the bringing of proceedings in any other jurisdiction, whether concurrently or not, if and to the extent permitted by applicable law.

4.3. The Carrier reserves the right to modify these Terms and Conditions without prior notice to the Merchant.

Bill of Lading

The Bill of Lading terms below are effective from 1 February 2024. For Bills of Lading issued before February 2024, please refer to terms valid till 31st January 2024, downloadable here

1. Definitions

In this Bill of Lading, the terms:

‘Bill of Lading’ means the present document whether called Bill of Lading, paperless Bill of Lading, electronic Bill of Lading and/or waybill.

‘Carriage’ means the whole or any part of the operations and services undertaken by the Carrier in respect of the Goods covered by this Bill of Lading.

‘Carrier’ means the party on whose behalf this Bill of Lading has been signed and/or issued.

‘Combined Transport’ arises if the Place of Receipt and/or the Place of Delivery are indicated overleaf in the relevant spaces. Combined Transport consists of Port-to-Port carriage and Inland Transport.

‘Container’ means any container used for the transport of Goods (including, without limitation, any dry storage container, flat rack container, open top container, tunnel container, open side storage container, double doors container, refrigerated container, super freezer container, controlled-atmosphere container, insulated or thermal container, foldable container, half-height container, car carrier container, intermediate bulk shift container, swap bodies, special purpose container, or any combination of the foregoing examples), trailer, transportable tank, ISO tank, drums, flat or pallet or any similar article used to consolidate goods and any ancillary equipment. Unless a provision in this Bill of Lading expressly refers only to a specific type of Container, the defined term “Container” shall be given its full meaning wherever it appears in this Bill of Lading, notwithstanding that certain provisions in this Bill of Lading may contain words that are more generally or commonly understood in relation to a specific type of Container

‘Freight’ means all charges payable to the Carrier in accordance with the Carrier’s applicable Tariff and under this Bill of Lading.

‘Goods’ means the whole or any part of the cargo accepted from the shipper and includes any Container not supplied by or on behalf of the Carrier.

‘Hague Rules’ means the provisions of the International Convention for the Unification of certain rules relating to Bills of Lading signed at Brussels on 25th August 1924 and includes the amendments by the protocol signed at Brussels on 23rd February 1968 and 1979, but only if such amendments (hereinafter collectively called “the Visby Amendments”) are compulsorily applicable to this Bill of Lading. It is expressly provided that nothing in this Bill of Lading shall be construed as contractually applying the said Visby Amendments.

‘Holder’ means any Person for the time being lawfully in possession of this Bill of Lading or in whom rights of suit and/or liability under this Bill of Lading have been transferred or vested.
‘Inland Transport’ means carriage during Combined Transport, including but not limited to road, rail and water transport, other than the Port-to-Port segment.

‘Merchant’ means any Person who at any time has been or becomes the shipper, Holder, consignee, the receiver of the Goods, any Person owning or entitled to the possession of the Goods or this Bill of Lading and any Person acting on behalf of any such Person.

‘NVOCC’ means Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier.

‘Person’ includes an individual, company, group or other entity.

“Place of Delivery” means any port or place so named overleaf.

“Place of Receipt” means any port or place so named overleaf.

‘Port of Discharge’ means any port so named overleaf.

‘Port of Loading’ means any port so named overleaf.

‘Port-to-Port’ means carriage between the Port of Loading and Port of Discharge.

‘Subcontractor’ means any party and/or Person to which the Carrier subcontracts the whole or any part of this Carriage, including but not limited to owners and operators of any vessels (other than the Carrier), stevedores, warehousemen, container terminal or depot operators, road, rail and air transport operators and any independent contractor employed by the Carrier in the performance of the Carriage or any part thereof and any of their sub-contractors, agents and servants.

‘Tariff’ means the charges payable to the Carrier which includes but is not limited to the following charges: storage charges, detention, demurrage, terminal handling charges, seal fees, bill of lading fees for any issuance, amendment, re-issuance, telex release fees, reefer power charges, late payment fees, booking cancellation/postponement fees, delivery order fees, container cleaning charges and miscellaneous charges (e.g. charges for misdeclaration of dangerous goods, misdeclaration of cargo weight).

‘US COGSA’ means the United States Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 46 U.S.C. App. § 1300 et seq. as enacted 1936 and any subsequent recodification thereto.

“Verified Gross Mass” means the combined mass of a Container’s tare mass and the masses of all packages and cargo items including but not limited to pallets, dunnage, other packing material and securing materials packed in the Container and verified by one of the methods of weighing specified in SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2.

‘Vessel’ means any waterborne craft or barge used in the Carriage under this Bill of Lading, which may be a feeder vessel or an ocean vessel.

The terms and conditions of the Carrier’s applicable Tariff are incorporated herein. Attention is drawn to the terms therein relating to free storage time and to container demurrage or detention. Copies of the relevant provisions of the applicable Tariff are obtainable from the Carrier or its agent upon request. The Carrier’s standard Tariff (which is part of the applicable Tariff) can be accessed online at the Carrier’s website www.pilship.com.

The Carrier or their Subcontractor, or any Person authorised by them, shall be entitled, but under no obligation, to open, unpack or to scan any Container or package at any time and to inspect, weigh and/or measure the Goods and/or the Container or to inspect, check or verify any preparation and/or packing of the Goods and/or the Container. If the inspection of the Goods is conducted by the request or order of any authority at any place, the Carrier will not be liable for any loss or damage incurred by the Merchant as a result of complying with such request or order including but not limited to any opening, unpacking, inspection and/or re-packing. The Carrier shall be entitled to recover the cost of such opening, unpacking, inspection and/or re-packing from the Merchant. Any failure on the part of the Carrier or their Subcontractor to avail themselves of their rights under this clause shall not result in any liability attaching to the Carrier or their Subcontractor.

The Carrier is neither prepared to enter into a contract of Carriage nor to issue a Bill of Lading regarding the carriage of specie, bullion, precious or rare metals or stones, jewellery, ornaments, works of art, plate or other objects of a rare and precious nature, money, bank notes or other forms of currency, bonds or other negotiable instruments and/or securities, whether the value is declared or not, without Carrier’s prior written consent to perform such a Carriage. The Carrier shall be discharged from all liability in respect of loss or damage to such Goods, non-delivery, delay or any other loss connected or related to the Carriage in case of failure to declare the nature and value of any such Goods, pay any ad valorem freight where applicable, and obtain Carrier’s said consent and comply with any instructions the Carrier may give in connection with the Carriage of such Goods.

THE CARRIER SHALL HAVE A LIEN ON THE GOODS AND ANY DOCUMENTS RELATING THERETO FOR ALL SUMS PAYABLE TO THE CARRIER UNDER ANY CONTRACT BETWEEN THE MERCHANT AND THE CARRIER, WHETHER RELATED TO THE CONTRACT OF CARRIAGE EVIDENCED BY THIS BILL OF LADING, WHICH FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, INCLUDES ANY SUMS DUE TO THE CARRIER ARISING FROM ANY GENERAL AVERAGE CONTRIBUTIONS AND/OR SALVAGE CHARGES. THE CARRIER SHALL ALSO HAVE A LIEN AGAINST THE MERCHANT ON THE GOODS AND ANY DOCUMENTS RELATING THERETO FOR ALL SUMS DUE FROM HIM TO THE CARRIER UNDER ANY OTHER CONTRACT. The Carrier may exercise his lien at any time and at any place at his sole discretion, whether the Carriage is completed or not. In any event, any lien shall extend to cover the cost of recovering the sums due. The Carrier shall have the right to sell the Goods by public auction or private treaty, without notice to the Merchant, at any place at the sole discretion of the Carrier. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing herein shall prevent the Carrier from recovering from the Merchant the difference between the amount due to the Carrier and the net amount realised from such sale.

The Hague Rules shall not apply to the Carriage of live animals, birds, reptiles, fish or plants which are carried at the sole risk of the Merchant. The Carrier shall be under no liability whatsoever for any injury, illness, death, delay, loss, damage or destruction to such live animals, birds, reptiles, fish or plants howsoever arising. Should the Master in his sole discretion consider that any live animal, birds, reptiles or fish is likely to be injurious to any other live animal, birds, reptiles or fish or to any Person or property on board, or to cause the Vessel to be delayed or impeded in the prosecution of its voyage, the Carrier has the liberty to deal with such live animal, birds, reptiles or fish in any manner which it deems fit, without any liability attaching to the Carrier. The Merchant shall indemnify the Carrier against all and any extra costs incurred for any reason in connection with the Carriage of such live animals, birds, reptiles, fish or plants including without limitation the cost of veterinary services on the voyage and of providing forage for any period during which the Carriage is delayed for any reason, and of complying with the regulations of any authority of any country with regard to such live animals, birds, reptiles, fish or plants.
If the Vessel comes into collision with another ship as a result of the negligence of the other ship and any act, neglect or default in the navigation or the management of the Vessel, the Merchant shall indemnify the Carrier (or, where the Carrier is not the owner and/or in possession of the carrying Vessel, to indemnify the Carrier as trustee for the owner and/or demise charterer of the Vessel) and/or the owner and/or demise charterer of the Vessel against all loss or liability to the other or non-carrying ship or her owner insofar as such loss or liability represents loss of or damage to, or any claim whatsoever of the Merchant, paid or payable by the other or non-carrying ship or her owner to the Merchant and set-off, recouped or recovered by the other or non-carrying ship or her owner as part of their claim against the Vessel or her owner or demise charterer or the Carrier. The foregoing provisions shall also apply where the owner, operator, or those in charge of any ship or ships or objects, other than, or in addition to, the colliding ships or objects, are at fault with respect to a collision, contact, stranding or other accident.

Verified Gross Mass (VGM)

To ensure the safety of the ship, workers aboard ships and ashore, cargo, as well as the overall safety at sea, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires the total gross mass of all packed containers to be verified prior to stowage aboard ship. This is known as the Verified Gross Mass (VGM), which comprises:

  1. the weight of cargo
  2. the weight of the packaging materials used, and
  3. the container tare weight

 

Shippers are responsible for the following:

  • Verification of the gross mass of a container carrying cargo (a packed container).
  • Ensuring that the verified gross mass (VGM) is communicated in shipping documents sufficiently in advance. This will used by the ship’s master or his representative, as well as the terminal representative in preparation of the ship stowage plan.

 

If the VGM of the packed container is not provided by the shipper, the container will not be loaded onto the ship unless the master or his representative and the terminal representative have obtained the VGM through other means.

1. Methods for verifying gross mass

Shippers have two methods to choose from to verify the gross mass of the containers, in accordance to the SOLAS Convention.

Method 1

Weighing

Weighing the packed container at the weighbridge, or using scale, lifting equipment or any other device that meets the accuracy standards and requirements of the State.

Method 2

Calculating

All items to be loaded into the container are weighed individually. This includes the weight of all packaging materials such as dunnage, pallets and materials used for securing the cargo.

These weights are then added to the tare weight of the container, which can be found on the CSC plate on the door of the container, or obtained from our website under “Container Specification”

The shipper named in the Bill of Lading is responsible for the VGM, and the signatory of the VGM declaration must be duly authorized by the shipper.

VGM must be submitted to PIL before the stipulated cut-off date and time. As the cut-off date and time may vary depending on countries and ports, shippers should obtain the cut-off date and time from our local offices or booking offices.

Shippers may submit their VGM using one of the four methods:

Method 1

VGM Declaration Form

Fill in this VGM Declaration Form and email it to VGM@sgp.pilship.com

Shippers will receive a confirmation email if the VGM submission is successful.

Note: This email address is an auto update function and not manned by any personnel. Please ensure that accurate information is provided to avoid any delays.

Method 2

Email VERMAS

Email your VGM data in a standard EDIFACT message known as VERMAS to VGM@sgp.pilship.com

Shippers will receive a confirmation email if the VGM submission is successful.

Method 3

VERMAS via Portal

Please contact our local agent if you want to submit your VERMAS via a portal such as INTTRA, CargoSmart, or GTNexus.

Method 4

Method 4 eVGM submission

Please submit your VGM data through our website platform.
Click here to submit

IMPORTANT:

  1. PIL will not accept any VGM declaration done through:
    • Verbal, such as voice call or video call
    • SMS
    • Social media, such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, Facebook etc.
  2. PIL is prohibited to load any container onto the vessel without VGM. Shippers will be liable for all costs that may arise due to the absence of VGM, such as but not limited to weighing costs, shut out cost, storage cost levied by the local authorities/terminals, demurrage and other administrative costs.
  3. PIL strongly encourages all shippers to use methods 1 to 3.
    If it is truly required, shippers may fill in this VGM Declaration Form, and email or fax it to our agents.