Transportation and Maritime

 

Transportation and Maritime law services in Azerbaijan

 

Caspian Legal Center team enjoys the accompany of the lawyers who are well-experienced in providing legal services for transportation, logistics, maritime and shipping industry. 

 

Transportation and logistics industry of Azerbaijan

 

Emerging top notch it solutions in all markets have come across to the Azerbaijan transportation and logistics services industry as well. Here, as in other countries provision of traditional relevant services besides modern solution implemented in the relevant industry attracts attention of multinational companies. Especially, location of the country that serves as logistics interconnection between East and West, drives the local government to development of the infrastructure of the industry as well as specific regulations of the relevant industry. The main relevant industrial infrastructures as Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Heydar Aliyev International Airport (cargo terminal), Sea Port at Alat, Alat Free Economic Zone (AFEZ) are the main hubs, as well as, promising infrastructures of the country.

 

Legal regulation of transportation and logistics industry in Azerbaijan

 

The main legislative acts in the relevant field are the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Aviation", the Law "On Sea Ports", the Law "On Automobile Transport", the Code of Merchant Shipping of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Transport", the Law on the Alat Free Economic Zone. Vast amount of executive regulations are adopted in reference to the mentioned laws.

Considering the legislative base for the relevant industry it must be considered that in AFEZ the specific laws will be applicable for the regulation of the interrelation of the businesses that are different from mainland.

 

The transportation and logistics legal services

 

Our legal services in transportation and logistics industry includes, inter alia, the following services:

• Setting up Azerbaijani legal structures of international transportation companies and full maintenance support
• Review and preparation of transportation/logistics and maritime contracts, shipping terms, policies and procedures, and other related legal advisory issues pertinent to transportation
• Representation of parties of transportation agreements in disputes involving local and international laws and regulations
• Consultancy related to the specific tax and customs, duties regulations deriving from the local and international carriage of goods, including vehicle purchase and lease taxes, withholding taxes resulting from income from Azerbaijani source of international transporters and optimization of such taxes 
• Advisory in specific labor or service relations unique to transportations of goods or people
• Cargo claims, including demurrage costs, and disputes with brokers and insurers
• Preparation of industry specific driving and substance abuse policies
• Development of service level agreement (SLA), driver and passenger safety rules,
• Environmental issues related to transportation, social responsibility and HSE
• Development of terms of service (T&C) for sites/app and texts of customer notification for IT bases transportation services providers
• Regulatory issues, including consultation for driving licenses, permission for operation of taxi, driver and vehicle requirements 
• Warehouse and logistics regulations and dispute resolution, including property losses, fraud, regulatory compliance
• Transportation accidents and injuries
• Specific regulations for the services of sober driver and related disputes

 

Maritime law services in Azerbaijan

 

Azerbaijan is a member of the International Maritime Organization since 1995. Several international conventions in maritime have been ratified, which include the 1974 SOLAS, and 1972 STCW and the 1973/79 MARPOL. With several sea ports at the Caspian Sea and due to developed oil and gas industry, maritime industry has grown in Azerbaijan and the transport fleet includes oil tankers, cargo and Ro-Ro vessels, passenger ferries, towing and diving support vessels as primary examples.

Merchant Shipping Code of Azerbaijan and the Law on Sea-Ports are the primary legislative acts regulating maritime industry, shipping, sea ports, security and safety and other marine industry trade related matters.

 

Our legal advisory services in maritime include:

• Charter agreements, insurance and business contracts in maritime trade and transportation
• Vessel lease and registration
• Vessel accidents, injury to crew members
• Legal regulations on the carriage of goods and cargo: advisory and compliance support
• Relations and regulatory compliance related to State Maritime Administration of Azerbaijan
• Environmental issues related to maritime and marine shipping in Azerbaijan