Maritime lawyer in Almaty — carriage of goods by sea, bills of lading and disputes with carriers

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Maritime lawyer reviews transport documents with a logistician in Almaty

We review contracts of carriage, charter and freight forwarding
We handle disputes over loss, shortage and damage of cargo
We calculate demurrage and challenge unjustified downtime
We work with cargo insurance and insurers' refusals

Maritime and transport law

We work with cargo owners, freight forwarders and transport companies

Caspian routes, multimodal carriage and transit through ports

We read the bill of lading and charter before signing — that is where liability limits and deadlines are

We handle claims against carriers, ports and terminals

We review insurers' refusals on cargo and challenge them

We support foreign trade contracts with a transport element

Send us the bill of lading, the carriage contract and the acts — we will tell you who is liable in your situation, which time limits are already running and what amount you can expect. Review of the documents is free.

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13^years

of corporate practice

Contracts, supplies, transport, disputes with counterparties
1^year

limitation period

For claims arising from carriage by sea it is short — we calculate it straight away
3^days

to review a full set

Bill of lading, contract, acts, correspondence
70⁺

transport disputes

Cargo, demurrage, insurance, freight forwarding

Cargo lost or damaged

Shortage, spoilage, total loss of a consignment. We work out who is liable at which stage and file the claim within the time limit.

Review of the bill of lading and charter party

We read the documents before shipment: limits of liability, clauses, applicable law, dispute resolution procedure.

Demurrage and detention

The carrier or terminal has charged for demurrage. We check the laytime calculation and whether the charges are justified.

Delay in delivery

The vessel was late, the cargo arrived after the season or after the deadline under the contract. We work out liability and losses.

Dispute with a freight forwarder

Who is liable in multimodal carriage if the cargo was damaged at the junction between modes of transport and the boundaries of liability are blurred.

Insurer's refusal

The insurer refused, citing exclusions or a breach of the carriage terms. We challenge the refusal and pursue payment.

Cargo detention

The cargo is held at a port or terminal because of debts, documents or disputes. We work to secure its release.

Transport section of the contract

We draft and amend delivery terms in foreign trade contracts: the basis, the point at which risk passes, insurance, and liability for failure to ship.

Send us the documents — a maritime lawyer will tell you who to claim against and by when

The review of the document set is free. In maritime carriage, the deadlines for a claim and for court proceedings are short, so the first thing we tell you is the date after which a claim can no longer be brought.

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Cargo did not arrive
Shortage and damage
Delay in delivery
Demurrage charged
Dispute with the freight forwarder
Insurer's refusal
Cargo is being held
Drafting the contract

Cost

What our services cost maritime lawyer

One-off tasks are priced by the volume of documents, and disputes by the amount claimed and the place of resolution. Foreign applicable law and proceedings abroad are priced separately.

Service	What is included	Cost
Review of the document set	Who is liable and which deadlines are running	free of charge
Legal opinion on carriage	A written analysis of liability and risks	from 55,000 ₸
Review of the bill of lading and contract	Exceptions, limits, applicable law	from 60,000 ₸
Claim against the carrier	Preparation with calculation and annexes	from 80,000 ₸
Calculation of demurrage and detention	Review of laytime and charges	from 70,000 ₸
Dispute over shortage and damage	Conduct of the case through to decision	from 230,000 ₸
Dealing with an insurer's refusal	Challenge and claim for payment	from 140,000 ₸
Release of detained cargo	Urgent work with the port and terminal	from 190,000 ₸
Transport terms of a foreign trade contract	Basis, risks, insurance, liability	from 100,000 ₸
Dispute with a freight forwarder	Allocation of liability at each stage	from 180,000 ₸
Support with shipments	Ongoing review of transaction documents	from 210,000 ₸/month
Dispute abroad	Coordination with foreign lawyers	by agreement

The ranges are indicative and do not constitute a public offer. State duty, surveyor inspections, expert examinations, translations and notarial acts are paid separately.

Find out the cost for my case

How it works maritime lawyer: from documents to compensation received

We calculate the deadlines

Claims arising from carriage have short deadlines, and some of them are pre-action claim deadlines. A missed deadline closes the door to a dispute regardless of who is in the right.

We read the bill of lading

It is not just a receipt for the cargo: it sets out the carrier's limits of liability, reservations about the condition of the cargo, the applicable law and the place where disputes are resolved.

We look at the reservations

The carrier's notes on the condition of the packaging and cargo on acceptance decide half of the future dispute. A clean bill of lading and a bill of lading with reservations are two different positions.

We distinguish the stages

In multimodal carriage it is important to establish at which leg the damage occurred: this determines both the defendant and the applicable rules.

We record the damage

Reports, photographs, a surveyor's inspection, weighing. The inspection is carried out on delivery of the cargo — afterwards it is almost impossible to prove its condition at the time of handover.

We calculate the claim

The value of the cargo, inspection and storage costs, losses from a failed delivery. We separately check whether the carrier's limit of liability applies.

We file the claim

To the carrier, the freight forwarder and the insurer — depending on what the analysis shows. Often the claim is sent to several addressees at once.

We conduct the dispute

In court or in the manner agreed by the parties. If the applicable law is foreign, we coordinate the work with lawyers in the relevant jurisdiction.

Cargo damaged but the clock is already ticking?

Send the bill of lading and the reports via WhatsApp — we will tell you today who to claim against and by what date.

Describe your situation

Team

Team of lawyers in Almaty

We handle a case from start to finish with the same team: you always know who is dealing with your matter and who to contact.

Asel Kurmanova

Lawyer for civil cases

Handles disputes over real estate, inheritance, contracts and transactions. Supports transactions from document review through to registration of title.

14 years of practice
Civil and housing disputes
Kazakh and Russian languages

Dmitry Kim

Lawyer for financial and motor vehicle disputes

Works with banks, insurers and debt collectors, handles recovery and bankruptcy cases, and defends drivers in administrative matters.

11 years of practice
Banks, insurers, motor vehicle disputes
Pre-trial settlement

Gulnara Abisheva

Lawyer for family and social matters

Handles divorces, division of property, alimony and disputes over children, as well as employment, pension and social issues.

9 years of practice
Family and employment disputes
Work with guardianship authorities

Yerlan Sagintayev

Lawyer for corporate law

Supports company transactions, arranges shares and corporate agreements, handles disputes between participants and reorganisation.

13 years of practice
Transactions, shares, corporate disputes
Support for investment rounds

Aigerim Nurlanova

Tax lawyer

Challenges notifications and inspection reports, handles tax disputes in court, supports inspections and recovers overpayments.

10 years of practice
Inspections and tax disputes
Working with the client's accounting records

Viktor Li

Construction and contract lawyer

Reviews contract agreements, estimates and acts, handles disputes over quality and scope of works, supports acceptance of facilities.

12 years of practice
Contracting, shared participation, acceptance
Working with construction expertise

Madina Ospanova

Intellectual property and IT lawyer

Protects copyright and trademarks, drafts contracts for IT teams and handles rights to products and code.

8 years of practice
Copyright, trademarks
Contracts for IT and studios

Sanzhar Ibraev

Bankruptcy and debt recovery lawyer

Handles bankruptcy and rehabilitation procedures, recovers receivables, defends directors against subsidiary liability.

15 years of practice
Bankruptcy, rehabilitation, debt recovery
S

Practice

Recent case stories from our lawyers in Almaty

Details have been changed and anonymised: the content of the case is protected by professional privilege.

Cargo damage

A consignment of equipment arrived with corrosion — we recovered the full amount

Situation: The company imported production equipment worth 94 million tenge by sea through a Caspian port with subsequent road delivery. On acceptance at the warehouse, corrosion of components from moisture ingress was discovered. The carrier relied on a clean bill of lading and on the fact that the damage had occurred after unloading.
What we did: We arranged a survey inspection before opening the entire consignment and recorded the nature of the damage, which indicated prolonged exposure to moisture in transit. We obtained the documents on the condition of the packaging at loading, the temperature regime and the securing conditions. We submitted claims to the carrier and at the same time declared the loss to the insurer.
Outcome: The insurer paid indemnity in the amount of 94 million tenge. The right of claim against the carrier passed to the insurer by way of subrogation, the client received the money within four months and did not participate in the further dispute.

Demurrage

Laytime counted with weekends — the sum fell threefold

Situation: The cargo owner was invoiced for laytime in the amount of 11.4 million tenge. The calculation had been made by calendar days from the date of the notice of readiness until completion of unloading, without regard to the terms of the contract on how laytime is counted.
What we did: We obtained the terms of the contract and established that laytime does not run on weekends or during periods when unloading is impossible for reasons attributable to the terminal. We prepared a day-by-day calculation with supporting documents on the actual progress of the work and on the stoppages.
Outcome: The justified amount was 3.6 million tenge instead of 11.4 million. The difference was settled without proceedings, and the method of calculation was expressly fixed in subsequent contracts.

Shortage

Shortage of bulk cargo: the dispute was decided by the method of measurement

Situation: On unloading of a consignment of bulk cargo, a shortage of about 3% of the shipped weight was identified. The carrier relied on natural loss and on measurement error. The value of the missing cargo was 7.8 million tenge.
What we did: We compared the methods of determining weight at loading and at unloading: in the first case one method was used, in the second another, with a different margin of error. We engaged a specialist to assess the permissible discrepancies and showed that the difference exceeded both the margin of error and the norms of natural loss for that cargo and route.
Outcome: The carrier compensated 5.9 million tenge pre-trial. In subsequent shipments a single method of determining weight at both ends of the route was agreed.

Freight forwarder

The cargo was damaged at the junction between modes of transport — we found the party responsible

Situation: Multimodal carriage: sea, then road. The cargo arrived damaged, but each participant pointed to another. The freight forwarder claimed that it was merely the organiser and bore no liability for the safety of the cargo, although the contract had been concluded with it. The amount of damage was 22 million tenge.
What we did: We analysed the contract with the freight forwarder and established that it had assumed an obligation to deliver, and not merely to organise, which changes the scope of liability. In parallel, from the transhipment documents we established that the damage had occurred during transhipment at the port, and recorded this in reports.
Outcome: The freight forwarder compensated the damage in full and subsequently pursued claims against the terminal itself. The client received the money without participating in the dispute between the parties to the carriage.

Insurance

The insurer refused because of the packaging — we challenged the refusal

Situation: The insurer refused to pay 31 million tenge, citing improper packaging of the cargo as an exclusion from cover. The packaging, however, complied with ordinary practice for that type of goods, and the damage had been caused by shifting of the cargo during rolling.
What we did: We gathered evidence that the packaging complied with ordinary requirements: the manufacturer's specification, the practice of previous shipments of the same goods by the same route, and a specialist's opinion. We showed that the cause was a failure to secure the cargo, not the packaging, and that the exclusion had been applied expansively.
Outcome: The insurer reconsidered the decision and paid the indemnity in full after the second claim. No court proceedings were required.

Detention of cargo

The cargo was held for a third party's debt

Situation: A consignment of goods was held at the terminal because of a debt owed by the freight forwarder hired by the cargo owner. There were no claims against the cargo owner itself, but the goods were not released, and storage costs were accruing daily. The delay threatened to derail the contract with the buyer.
What we did: We examined the grounds for the detention and showed that the cargo belonged to the client, while the obligations on which the detention was based had arisen with another party. We sent a demand for release, pointing out the unlawfulness of the detention and the losses that were continuing to accrue, and at the same time prepared interim measures.
Outcome: The cargo was released after eight days, and the storage costs for the period of unlawful detention were waived. The contract with the buyer was performed with minimal delay.

Limitation period

The claim almost lapsed because of a short deadline

Situation: For more than six months the company corresponded with the carrier about compensation for damage, receiving promises that the matter would be considered. By the time they approached us, less than a month remained before the deadline for filing a claim, and the full set of documents had not been assembled.
What we did: We explained that for claims arising from carriage the limitation period is shorter than the general one and that correspondence by itself does not extend it. We urgently assembled the available documents, filed the claim within the deadline and applied for orders requiring the carrier and the terminal to produce the missing documents.
Outcome: The claim was accepted and the documents were ordered by the court to be produced. The dispute ended in a settlement agreement with payment of 68% of the claimed amount. Had the client missed the deadline, they would have received nothing.

Contract

The delivery basis did not match the actual carriage arrangements

Situation: The company signed a foreign trade contract in which the delivery basis assumed that risk passed at one point, while the actual logistics were structured differently. At the first problem with the cargo it emerged that risk had passed to the buyer earlier than the buyer believed, and that the insurance had been taken out by the wrong party.
What we did: We examined the discrepancy between the contract terms and the actual arrangements, renegotiated the basis with the counterparty and brought the insurance into line: the policyholder became the party bearing the risk at the relevant stage. At the same time we set out the procedure for dealing with damage to the cargo and the notification deadlines.
Outcome: The next twelve shipments went through without any disputed situations. In one case of damage to the cargo, compensation was received under the insurance within six weeks thanks to the procedure for recording the damage that had been set out in advance.

Useful information

Maritime lawyer in Almaty: bill of lading, carrier liability, demurrage

Yerlan Sagintayev Corporate lawyer

Published: 14 September 2026 Updated: 16 September 2026

Cargo from the port of Aktau or Kuryk did not arrive on time, arrived damaged or did not arrive at all, and in correspondence the carrier refers to a storm, force majeure and its limited liability. At the same time the port issues an invoice for vessel idle time, and the cargo owner signs documents so as not to lose what remains of the cargo. In such a situation every signature and every letter works either for the claim or against it.

The main mistakes made by cargo owners are almost always the same: the condition of the cargo is recorded too late, the bill of lading is accepted blindly, demurrage is paid to the port without analysing the causes of the idle time, and the insurer learns of the incident too late. A maritime lawyer comes in at precisely this stage, to gather the evidence before it disappears and to determine correctly to whom and on what basis the claim should be brought.

Cargo lost or delayed: when a maritime lawyer is needed

Cargo from Almaty that has gone through the Caspian may get stuck in Aktau or Kuryk, arrive damaged or not arrive at all. In such a situation the carrier often refers to a storm, the actions of the port or "force majeure", and the cargo owner is left without compensation. What has to be dealt with is not general arguments but a specific set of documents: the bill of lading, a statement of damage or shortage, notice to the carrier, correspondence with the agent at the port.

A maritime lawyer is needed here not for "negotiations in general", but to record the facts in time and to classify the dispute correctly: whether this is loss, damage or delay of the cargo. That determines which rules of merchant shipping apply, which deadlines must not be missed and what evidence must be gathered before the traces disappear.

The bill of lading and all transport documents for the voyage.
Port statements, a surveyor's report, photographs and video of the cargo.
Notice to the carrier and its response.
Correspondence with the freight forwarder and agent in Aktau or Kuryk.

What to check first
Situation	Key document	What we record
Cargo lost	Bill of lading, port report	Who the holder is, where the cargo was unloaded
Cargo damaged	Inspection report, surveyor	Nature and extent of damage
Cargo detained	Notices, correspondence	Reason for the delay and the port's demands
Carrier is silent	Claim and proof of delivery	Date and fact of the application

Without these documents, the dispute becomes one word against another.

Maritime lawyer and the Law on Merchant Shipping

Maritime carriage in Kazakhstan is governed by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Merchant Shipping. This is the main document a maritime lawyer relies on when handling a dispute between a cargo owner, a freight forwarder and a carrier. The Law sets the framework: who is considered the carrier, which documents confirm the contract, how risk is allocated between the parties.

For a cargo owner from Almaty, this framework matters because it determines the scope of rights in case of loss, damage or delay of cargo. The freight forwarder is responsible for organising carriage, the carrier — for the cargo itself from the moment of acceptance until delivery. If the vessel sails across the Caspian and through the port of Aktau, the dispute is still resolved under Kazakhstan law.

who is recognised as the carrier and what duties they have
how a contract of maritime carriage is confirmed
at what point risk passes to the carrier
limits of liability and grounds for exemption from it

Bill of Lading: what a maritime lawyer looks at first in the document

The bill of lading confirms acceptance of the cargo by the carrier and sets out the terms of carriage, so a maritime lawyer reads it in full first, not just the header. They look at what exactly is recorded about the cargo: number of packages, weight, marking, condition of packaging, type of cargo, port of loading and discharge, name of the carrier and date of acceptance.

The carrier's reservations and discrepancies between the bill of lading and the actual consignment are checked separately. If the document bears a note about damage, shortage or disputed condition of the cargo, the carrier is shifting part of the risk onto others in advance, and the dispute moves towards what happened before loading. When discrepancies come to light on delivery of the cargo, it is the bill of lading that determines who proves what.

reservations about the condition of the cargo and packaging
discrepancies in the number of packages and weight
terms of carriage and carrier's reservations
details of the port of loading and discharge

Carrier's liability for cargo through the eyes of a maritime lawyer

The legal period during which the carrier is answerable for the cargo begins when it is accepted and ends when it is delivered. In practice this means that if the cargo has disappeared, been damaged or delayed at the port or on the vessel, the cargo owner's claim is addressed to the carrier, not only to the port or the freight forwarder. A maritime lawyer in Almaty first establishes whether the particular incident falls within that time frame.

The liability of a sea carrier is not unlimited. It may be limited by law and by the bill of lading: it is usually not possible to agree to terms below the limits set by law, but the parties often include additional conditions in the document that narrow the cargo owner's options. This is critical for claims: the wording determines whether it will be possible to recover the full value of the lost cargo or only part of it.

The moment of acceptance of the cargo is recorded in the bill of lading, the tally receipt or the loading report.
Delivery of the cargo is confirmed by the consignee's signature or a port mark.
Limitations in the bill of lading: reservations about the condition of the cargo, limits and jurisdiction for the dispute.
The statutory limits of liability apply even if the document does not mention them.

Maritime lawyer on demurrage: vessel idle time and the port's claims

Demurrage is a charge for keeping a vessel idle beyond the agreed loading or unloading time. It is charged by the port, terminal or carrier under the terms of the contract of carriage by sea, the port tariffs or port custom. The basis is usually set out in the bill of lading, the charter party or the loading order. If the cargo was delayed through the fault of the cargo owner, the invoice is issued to them.

A demurrage dispute almost always comes down to the facts: who provided the vessel and when, how long loading took, whose inaction caused the idle time, which documents recorded the time. The following documents are checked:

time sheets and statements of laytime;
notices of readiness of the vessel for cargo operations;
the terms of the charter party or bill of lading on laytime and demurrage;
correspondence with the agent, the port and the carrier;
evidence that the idle time was caused by the actions of the port itself.

Limitation period for carriage by sea: one year and the role of a maritime law lawyer

Claims arising out of the carriage of goods by sea are subject to a shortened limitation period — one year. This means that the cargo owner, freight forwarder or transport company has exactly one year to submit a claim for damages to the carrier or the port and, if the dispute is not resolved, to go to court. Missing this period nullifies even a strong position: loss of cargo, damage or delay may be confirmed by the bill of lading, reports and correspondence, but if the defendant raises the objection, the court will dismiss the claim solely on the ground of limitation.

A maritime law lawyer first checks when this year began to run and what has been done to interrupt, suspend or restore it. While the period has not expired, the party has time to gather documents, record the losses, send a pre-action claim and prepare the statement of claim. It is also worth remembering that the running of the period depends on a specific date — the day the cargo was delivered, the day the loss became known, or another event.

Cargo insurance: where a maritime lawyer strengthens the position

Cargo insurance and a claim against the carrier run in parallel: the insurer pays under the contract and acquires the right to recover from the party at fault, but the cover amount is often lower than the actual loss — the shortfall is then recovered from the carrier, and here a sound maritime jurisdiction is decisive. In Kazakhstan on the Caspian, cargo often moves under a bill of lading with reservations, and the insurer demands documents the cargo owner simply does not have. A maritime lawyer brings the calculation of losses, the insurance payment and the right of claim into a single justified recovery.

The claim must be filed so that the insurer does not refuse on formalities and the carrier does not close itself off with a liability limit. A lawyer checks that the documents are complete and synchronises the deadlines: the notice, the inspection of the cargo, the calculation of loss, the responses of the port and the carrier. If the compensation is insufficient, the difference is claimed from the carrier under the bill of lading, and the dispute is pursued through a court enforcement officer already in Kazakhstan.

copy of the bill of lading and the contract of carriage
inspection report or survey report
insurance policy and correspondence with the insurer
commercial documents: invoice, packing list
calculation of losses and correspondence with the carrier

Documents for a maritime lawyer: what a cargo owner should prepare

A dispute arising from carriage by sea requires a full set of written evidence. First of all, prepare the bill of lading: the original or a copy, all copies, including the one retained by the carrier, and its reverse side with the terms. If the cargo moved under a sea waybill or another transport document, attach that as well. Check the marks of the port of loading and unloading, the reservations as to the condition of the cargo and the details of the consignee.

Collect the reports: commercial act, act of damage or shortage, act of vessel demurrage, as well as the survey report and tally sheets. Correspondence with the carrier, port and freight forwarder will be useful, including letters on demurrage and notices of delay, calculations of losses and demurrage, insurance documents. The more complete the set, the more precise the position in the dispute.

What else to attach to the application:

Bill of lading and its copies, sea waybill
Port reports, commercial act, survey report
Correspondence with the carrier, port, freight forwarder
Calculation of losses and demurrage
Insurance policy and correspondence with the insurer

Maritime lawyer and shipping law lawyer: how the scope of work differs

A shipping law lawyer usually handles a dispute over the application of merchant shipping rules: checks the bill of lading, charter party, limitation periods, allocation of liability between the carrier, port and cargo owner. A maritime lawyer in the broad sense comes in earlier, when the cargo has only just been delayed or lost and the entire line of defence needs to be built from claim to enforcement.

In practice this means support at several levels. A shipping law lawyer prepares the legal position, while a maritime lawyer handles correspondence with the carrier and port, files a claim in a court of Kazakhstan and secures actual recovery through a private or state court enforcement officer.

Claims against the carrier, port, freight forwarder
Negotiations and recording of losses
Claims in the courts of Kazakhstan
Enforcement of court acts

Comparison of claims in case of loss, damage and delay of cargo

Loss, damage and delay of cargo differ not only in their consequences, but also in which set of documents must be submitted to the court, and by whom. Below are three typical situations faced by cargo owners and freight forwarders in Almaty on shipments across the Caspian.

The general rule is simple: whoever relies on a fact must prove it. But once the cargo has been accepted for carriage under a bill of lading, the burden shifts: the carrier has to explain why the cargo was not delivered intact or on time.

For loss of cargo, the key documents are the bill of lading and the act recording that the cargo did not arrive at the port of destination.
For damage, it is an inspection report drawn up with a surveyor present, together with photographic evidence.
For delay, it is a notice of readiness, the timesheet and correspondence about the vessel's demurrage.

What to prove and what to prove it with
Situation	Who proves it	Key documents
Loss of cargo	The carrier — that the loss was not its fault	Bill of lading, act of non-arrival, discharge records
Damage to cargo	The cargo owner — the fact and extent of the damage	Inspection report, surveyor's report, photos, bill of lading
Delay in delivery	The cargo owner — the delay; the carrier — that it was justified	Notice of readiness, timesheet, correspondence, bill of lading

The nature of the cargo is stated in the bill of lading and affects the set of evidence required.

Typical mistakes a cargo owner makes before turning to a maritime lawyer

The most costly mistake is collecting evidence too late. Notice to the carrier of loss, damage or delay of cargo must be sent as soon as the problem becomes known, and proof of delivery must be kept: an acknowledgement of receipt, a postal receipt, a reply to the letter. If you limit yourself to phone calls and messages in a messenger without any record, it will be difficult to prove that the carrier knew about the claim.

The second group of mistakes concerns documents and deadlines. Do not sign a discharge or delivery act without reservations about shortages, damage and signs of tampering — later such an act will become the main argument against you. Do not pay demurrage without checking the grounds on which it was charged and the time of demurrage according to the timesheet, and do not delay filing a claim: claims arising from carriage by sea are subject to a one-year limitation period, and missing it closes the dispute for good. What most often undermines the cargo owner's position:

The act was signed without any remarks about the condition of the cargo and the seals
No notice was sent to the carrier, or there is no proof of delivery
The demurrage invoice was paid without checking the loading and discharge times
The correspondence was conducted in a messenger and was not saved

Experience of a maritime lawyer in disputes arising from carriage across the Caspian

A dispute over cargo that travelled through Aktau or Kuryk is more complex than an ordinary transport case. Here it is almost always multimodal carriage: by sea to a Kazakh port, then by rail or road to Almaty or another city. Loss or damage could have occurred on any leg of the route, and the question of who is liable is decided by the documents of each stage.

The second layer is the foreign port of loading. The bill of lading is often issued by a foreign carrier, agent or liner representative, and the applicable law and place of dispute resolution are stated in the document itself. Until the law and jurisdiction are determined, any claim may be brought against the wrong party. The experience of a maritime lawyer in such cases is the ability to break the route down into stages and understand exactly where the cargo left the carrier's control:

the port of loading abroad and its agent
the sea leg to Aktau or Kuryk
transhipment and storage at the port
the land leg to the consignee's warehouse

The most costly thing in a maritime dispute is not the loss itself but time: while negotiations are ongoing and documents are being signed, traces of damage to the cargo disappear and the limitation period for the claim runs out. The decision to instruct a maritime law lawyer is taken not after the carrier's refusal, but in the first days after the incident.

Reviews

Reviews of the maritime lawyer's work

4.9

Google

4.9 · 128

Yandex

4.8 · 94

2GIS

4.9 · 156

Zoon

4.7 · 41

Caspian Logistics LLP 1 September 2026

Equipment worth 94 million arrived with corrosion, and the carrier pointed to a clean bill of lading. Asel got involved straight away, the survey was carried out on time, and we received the insurance payout in four months. After that the insurer dealt with the carrier itself