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• Requirements of phytosanitary authorities (WIOR, SAN)
• Endorsements
• Incoterms
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Who is a forwarder?
Forwarder is a person who organizes cargo shipments and executes other services required and related to shipment delivery, in a professional way and against fee, on his own behalf or on behalf of the contractor or on the contractor’s account. The scope of service is determined by forwarding contract and cargo specificity.

What are delivery terms and conditions?
Delivery terms and conditions are a set of rules that define obligations of the parties, the buyer and the seller. They define who and from which point in time incurs the costs and covers the risk related to shipment delivery and insurance. The most frequently used delivery terms and conditions include Incoterms 1990, 2000, Combiterms and Amended American Foreign Trade Definitions. However, Incoterms guidelines are the most frequently used in the international trade.

What is bill of lading?
Bill of lading is a document that confirms the admission of cargo on the ship in order to carry it. At the same time it forms an obligation to provide the cargo to the authorized recipient in the port of destination. Bill of lading defines legal relations between the carrier and cargo recipient. It is also a proof that shipment contract was concluded. Bill of lading bears a status of a security, as the rights it provides do not exist without it – it is a document representing the cargo for which it was issued.

What does the term “transport preferences” mean?
It is the right and duty to organize, execute or pay for the transport of a given cargo under a purchase contract. In order to facilitate the conclusion of trade contracts common trade terms are used (e.g. Incoterms), which among others clearly define the scope of transport preferences. Simply speaking, if you have a transport preference in export it means that you are selling the goods and paying transportation costs “as far as possible” from the place of dispatch or production”, while in import in means buying “as close as possible”.

What is shipment consolidation about?
Consolidation means combining several smaller shipments that are destined in the same direction. For this purpose forwarder draws up a separate bill of lading for each consolidated shipment and additionally one collective bill of lading with a cargo list. The collective bill of lading contains the forwarder who consolidates the shipment as a sender, and deconsolidating forwarder as a recipient. The carrier can only view the collective bill.

Where do demurrage and detention fees stem from?
How are they different from warehousing fees?
The period which is free from demurrage and detention fees is the time specified by the shipowner for taking a full container and returning an empty one to the port or depot. Additional charges are calculated after this time has lapsed. Demurrage fees cover the period after the charge-free time for taking the container from the port. Detention fees cover the period from the moment of taking and returning an empty container to the port or depot. The length of demurrage and detention fee-free period may vary and depends on the provisions of the shipowner’s tariffs or individual contractual conditions. Warehousing fee-free time is the time specified by the port / terminal necessary to take the full container. After the lapse of the free time additional fees are charged, pursuant to the port / terminal tariffs.

What does Good Distribution Practice mean?
Good Distribution Practice shall mean the practice that ensures safe acceptance, transport, storage, and release of medicinal products.

What does Good Manufacturing Practice mean?
Good Manufacturing Practice shall mean the practice that guarantees that medicinal products are manufactured and controlled adequately to their intended use and in accordance with the requirements contained in their specifications and documents supporting the marketing authorisation for the medicinal product.

What does import of medicinal products mean?
Import of medicinal products shall mean each action involving import of a finished medicinal product from outside the European Union Member States or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Member States – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, including but not limited to the storage, quality control at batch release and distribution of such medicinal products.

What does parallel import mean?
Parallel import shall mean each action within the meaning of Article 72 (4) involving import of a medicinal product meeting all the following conditions from European Union Member States or European Free Trade Association Member States (EFTA) – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area:
a) the imported medicinal product has the same active substance or active substances, at least the same indications up to the 3rd level of the ATC/ATCvet code (code of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification), the same strength, the same route of administration and the same form as a medicinal product authorised for marketing in the territory of the Republic of Poland or has at least a similar form which does not result in any therapeutic differences as compared to the medicinal product authorised for marketing in the territory of the Republic of Poland,
b) the imported medicinal product and the medicinal product authorised for marketing in the territory of the Republic of Poland are concomitantly reference medicinal products or concomitantly generic medicinal products in the country from which the product is imported and in the territory of the Republic of Poland, respectively.

What does manufacture of medicinal products mean?
Manufacture of medicinal products shall mean any action leading to the creation of a medicinal product, including the manufacturer’s purchase and acceptance, at the manufacturing site, of the materials used in production, production, authorisation for subsequent manufacturing stages, including packaging and re-packaging, and storage and distribution of proprietary medicinal products, and also control activities associated with those activities.

Who is the manufacturer?
A manufacturer shall mean an entrepreneur within the meaning of the Act on Freedom of Business Activity of 2 July 2004, which performs at least one of the activities including the manufacturer’s purchase and acceptance, at the manufacturing site, of the materials used in production, production, authorisation for subsequent manufacturing stages, including packaging and re-packaging, and storage and distribution of proprietary medicinal products, and also control activities associated with those activities; consistently with the manufacturing authorisation granted by the competent authority.

What does batch release mean?
Batch release shall mean an attestation by a qualified person that the specific batch of a medicinal product or investigational medicinal product has been manufactured and controlled in accordance with legal regulations and with the marketing authorisation requirements or the clinical trial initiation conditions.

General information about container parameters

Requirements of phytosanitary authorities
Example authorization of WIORiN (Regional Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate)
Example authorization of WIJHARS (Regional Agricultural & Food Quality Inspectorate

Types of bills of lading:

1. ““Straight B/L” – issued directly to the individual recipient/company, should contain full name and address.
2. ““To Order” – same as “To Order of Shipper” – bill of lading ‘to the order of the shipper’ – recipient should be indicated by a correct sequence of endorsements.
3. “To Order of (bank)” – final recipient should be indicated by a correct sequence of endorsements.
4. “To Order of (company)” – final recipient should be indicated by a correct sequence of endorsements.
5. “Sea Waybill” – issued directly to the recipient, enables the recipient take over the goods at the moment of unloading (without the necessity to present the original bill of lading).

Required endorsements, depending on the type/method of issuing of bills of lading:

	Shipper	Bank, company, individual recipient	Recipient	Notify Party’s
1. Straight B/L			Yes
2. To Order B/L	Yes		Yes
3. To Order of Bank			Yes
4. To Order of Company		Yes	Yes
5. Sea Waybill		Yes

Correct endorsement (on the inversion of the bill of lading) should contain the following:

1. Company seal
2. Signature

Shipment can be released based on one correctly endorsed original bill of fading.
Caution : conditions for releasing the cargo in the event of lack of the required endorsements may be agreed on individual terms.

General information about INCOTERMS

WIS Gdansk (Veterinary Inspection) www.gdansk.wiw.gov.pl
WIOR Gdynia (Regional Inspectorate of Plant Health and Seed Inspection): www.piorin.gov.pl
Sanepid Gdynia (Regional Sanitary and Epidemiological Inspection): www.wsse.gda.pl
WIHAJRS Gdynia (Regional Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection): www.ijhar-s.gov.pl