Upon receipt of the shipment, survey the packages. If a shipment appears damaged or short-weighted at the time of taking delivery, the consignee or their agent should request an immediate survey by the carrier, and in receipt for the goods, they should note the exact condition of the shipment as received. In the event that the carrier will not make delivery unless a clean receipt is given, you should immediately file written notice, describing the condition of the shipment as received and holding the carrier liable for any loss or damage that a subsequent survey may disclose. A notation should be entered on the delivery receipt regarding any identified irregularities.
Prompt notice of loss must be given to the nearest representative of the insurance company. In the United States and Canada, this will usually be given through the agent or broker to one of the ACE offices shown in the Claims Office Directory. Abroad, our underwriters are represented by claims or settling agents or, in some areas, by their own offices. Each special policy lists such loss representatives in the world’s principal seaports. Representation at other ports will consist of the local correspondent of the Board of the American Institute of Marine Underwriters or, if none, the nearest Lloyds’ Agent.
Survey of damages. The claims agent or other representative should be asked to arrange a survey and then issue a certificate stating both the cause and extent of loss or damage. The carrier’s representative should be requested to attend the survey. Both the container and contents should be preserved in the condition in which they were received until the survey has been completed, unless further damage would result by doing so. The survey fee is customarily paid by the consignee, but it is properly included in a valid claim under the insurance. Note: Unless further damage would result, containers and contents should be maintained in the condition received until a survey is completed.
File a claim notice with the carrier (ocean/air or inland) in writing in every instance, preferably before or at the time of taking delivery of the goods. In the case of concealed damage, the claim should be made as soon as the damage is known. The form of claim is not important. It should identify the shipment by both vessel and bill of lading, and state that the carrier will be held responsible for damage thereto. A copy of this letter is necessary to support a claim on underwriters who have a right to be subrogated to the assured’s claim against the carrier.
Submit any reply you receive from the carrier, along with the other documents, to the ACE Marine Claims Office. However, submission of the claim papers to your marine claims professional should not be held up for the carrier’s acknowledgement.