– Federal, State and International Lawmakers
– Public Policy Advisors
– Trade, Transportation, Maritime Lawyers
– Trade and Transportation Associations
– Law Programs
– International Trade and Commerce Programs
– Shippers, Exporters, and Importers
Our educational program is very diverse in its approach, and immensely flexible in time, cost, and value-added content. We bring luncheons or after-work seminars to your office, where staff can merge in ideas and networking, and build strong communications skills. We believe in the value of human connections and face-to-face learning.
We bring topics in our continued educational development work that relate to today’s regulatory regimes in the International Trade and Shipping Industry.
This month, the topic we are offering focuses on E-documentation and Electronic Bills of Lading, and its impact on stakeholder groups, shippers, end-buyers and vessel owners in the trade transaction.
We dive into the implications and benefits this system of legal documentation, and its reforms, will have on its stakeholder groups. Finally, how do we measure its legal efficacy in use of evidentiary documentation?
The challenges facing small to mid-size companies are the upfront capital costs and time in retraining, internal documentation procedures, corporate governance standards, and vetting the software systems. The legal reforms within law-making bodies per jurisdiction, is also addressed in our seminar.
The seminar aims to provide a navigational path to work through the regulatory regimes and rules that govern such a transition for the maritime services that govern contracts.
We hope to see you at the seminar, as we guarantee a session of discussion, analysis and critiquing.
Electronic Trade Documentation
Electronic Trade Documentation
Location: Virtual
Date: Friday, May 30, 2025
Time: 3:00pm Pacific Time
Cost: $300.00 US
Materials Included: E-workbook for full course to cover course sections outlined on this page, legal decisions found under UK, New York case law, including arbitration awards.
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 by 5pm PDT.
This workshop is titled, ‘Electronic Trade Documentation.’
This month, we are offering a workshop titled ‘Electronic Trade Documentation’, with a focus on the E-Ocean Bill of Lading as a Trade Document, under the Carriage of Goods Act by Sea, normally a paper document versus a digital copy.
We cover the UK Electronic Trade Documentation Act 2023. Chapter 38, to establish if UK legislation compromises state, nation legislation and its sovereign principles including the best interests of industry, companies, and the end consumer/public. Comparisons are brought forward between the US, Canadian and UK jurisdictions in terms of its adoption of the Act, if it is acceptable under each nation’s sovereign laws, and if not, can bills still be converted from digital to hard copy without loss or delay of cargo delivery?
We discuss the topic of legal efficacy and integrity of the original bill of lading used as evidentiary documentation in litigated disputes, if they should arise.
We examine the impacts to Industry and companies having to exchange bills of lading in terms of added capital, human resources and training, cost of software and its implementation across all regions.
The workshop will provide strategies, and identify tools to adopt in your organization, to navigate successfully through proposed new regulations in the Canadian and US jurisdictions, assuring choices, and the best interest of your operations, are not compromised.
Location: TBA
Date: TBA
Time: TBA
Cost: TBA
Includes: TBA
This workshop is titled, ‘Fuel EU Trade Regulations, Navigating a Complex System.’
We dive into the implications and benefits of introducing a regulatory regime specific to the US and Canada. We review maritime supply chains in the trade activity of vessels operating in the world.
We address how this impacts the US and Canadian trade regimes in exported tonnages specifically in its short haul and long-haul trips compared to EU short sea shipping and domestic trades.
We focus on the relationships between the maritime industry stakeholders, the IMO, the MEPC and major oil and gas stakeholders. How do we identify heavily taxed regimes and opt in or opt out of the mandatory or voluntary fuel emissions programs?
In addition, we evaluate the newest pricing mechanism introduced by 47 nations resubmitted in place of the last IMO proposal by the ICS International chamber of Shipping.
We examine the science that supports such policy of clean fuel requirements and how each country will use its own sovereign laws to manage incoming foreign vessels and its fuel use, and emissions monitoring.
We add the fuel options in the market being available, based on cost, access, efficiency and vessel type.
How to manage the entry of vessels to EU ports to avoid the additional costs placed on shippers, vessel carriers and operators.
How to address the international legal implications of a system managed and controlled by the United Nations.
Location: TBA
Date: TBA
Time: TBA
Cost: TBA
Includes: TBA
Review how cases and claims arising out of Insurance policies that are within admiralty jurisdictions can have state laws override these jurisdictions. We exam the differences between Hague Visby Rules, COGSA Rules within US, Canadian and UK jurisdictions the legislation that supports them.
We further dive into the processes in which claims are reported, initiated in each jurisdiction, carried out and investigated specifically in the reporting, statutes of limitations, obligations of parties to prove damages and what party in the contractual agreements bears this burden.
The purpose of the workshop is to provide a basic framework of how claims are identified, what each party’s obligations are in reporting a damage and how losses are determined including the cause, affect and mitigating losses. In the end we look most recent case law that would support decisions that place liability on the cargo interest and the vessel operator /carrier.
Understand how maritime claims can be resolved, preventing legal action and litigation proceedings.
Location: TBA
Date: TBA
Time: TBA
Venue: Continental Breakfast included, Speakers, coffee breaks, power point presentation, case study material and articles included, as well as hard copies. PDF format articles and materials provided prior to workshop.
This workshop is titled, ‘The Impact Of Technology On Maritime Labour Negotiations.’
We dive into the impacts new technology has on the operations of the ports specifically its labour commercial negotiations. We identify how automation and robots work alongside human labor specifically the human and robot systems of communications. The most critical aspect of this workshop is how security of employment and ILWU jobs are secured under more efficient and standardized systems of automation with use of robotics.
The safety and security aspect of the human health and mind has been given little consideration in its role in defining daily communications, safety protocols, defense against aggression and if robots turn against humans in cases of litigation.
Is it a matter of training human labour to accommodate robotics in it claim for space in the maritime world of negotiations or is it the other way around with humanity in its quest for progression and training made a priority.
The implementation, costs, training and ownership of technology specifically if it can cause harm to labor security, port and national security in the use of imported robots, automation and AI data technologies as we see in US and Canadian ports today.
You will have a new perspective on the key issues ILWU and International Labor Unions are addressing in its quest for labour rights, security, growth and efficiency while at the same time, negotiating labour laws. with the new federal administration.
Join an amazing event that will serve to bring much value to your current operations.
Electronic Trade Documentation
Section 1.
1.1 Definition of a Paper Bill of Lading.
Section 2.
2.1 Definition of the E-Bill of Lading under Transport Documentation, equivalence to paper copy.
Section 3.
3.1 Impact of Technology on trade documentation processes and software adoption.
Section 4.
4.1 Identify key stakeholder groups in the maritime supply chain system.
Section 5.
5.1 Overview of US Statutory Instruments
Section 6.
6.1. Consequential Provisions
Section 7.
7.1 Provisions and Impact on global Maritime Trade
Section 8.
8.1 New Systems of conformity and standards.
Section 9
9.1 Testing a New System of Reliability, Criteria.
Section 10
10.1 US State and Federal adoption of ETDA standards.
Section 11
11.1 Reforming US Laws, regulations and statues.
Section 12
12.1 Validity of existing Case Law.
Use the form provided below to register for the seminar.
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Rita Conte started out in the industry as a transportation planner, working alongside a grain broker, in a small boutique trading house in Vancouver BC. The trading house was called ‘International Grain Trade’, and was owned by a Columbian businessman.
The business model was based on buying Canadian and US Grain at competitive market prices. This allowed for revenues to be generated through the sale of the products to Columbian buyers, at higher prices, if markets allowed.
Rita drove the execution of the sales contracts, while also buying grain products, under purchase agreements, with Canadian farmers.
She later used her expertise in the Canadian Railway system, in understanding how cars were assigned, trains created under specific SAN car numbers, to assure long trains were efficient in their waterfront distribution systems.
Rita managed and created a maritime claims department as a satellite branch to the head office in Norway for Star Shipping Canada Ltd. (presently G2 Ocean Shipping Canada Ltd.). Star Shipping Canada is a break bulk carrier, under a Norwegian flag. Rita demonstrated immense leadership in setting new operative, handling standards with the collaboration of experts, with whom she worked.
Affective processes and procedures were implemented in the prevention of loss and damages to vessel, crew, cargo and port/terminal property. In addition to her past contributions working for freight forwarders and exporters in the resource sector, Rita managed documentation, claims departments and logistics functions for ports and railways.
Today she works as a contractor, providing expertise in all modes of transportation, assuring regulations and policy are not hindering consumer and end-buyers, including exporters, to prosper in the world of trade transactions.
“My mission is based on delivering services based on integrity, honesty, competencies, knowledge and experience.”
Rita’s expertise in the dry bulk and break bulk industries, in creating track and trace systems to locate cargo, has been most affective in the UNCEFACT track and trace project, utilizing her expertise with a team of experts around the world, all having a background in regulatory, technology, operations, supply chain management.
Today having a world of valuable knowledge in a progressive changing world of regulations and technology deployment along major supply chains, especially in the entry of goods and services, Rita has created workshops to assist all organizations. including policy makers, regulators and law makers. in making the right decisions.
“My mission is based on delivering services based on integrity, honesty, competencies, knowledge and experience.”
Rita Conte started out in the industry as a transportation planner, working alongside a grain broker, in a small boutique trading house in Vancouver BC. The trading house was called ‘International Grain Trade’, and was owned by a Columbian businessman.
The business model was based on buying Canadian and US Grain at competitive market prices. This allowed for revenues to be generated through the sale of the products to Columbian buyers, at higher prices, if markets allowed.
Rita drove the execution of the sales contracts, while also buying grain products, under purchase agreements, with Canadian farmers.
She later used her expertise in the Canadian Railway system, in understanding how cars were assigned, trains created under specific SAN car numbers, to assure long trains were efficient in their waterfront distribution systems.
Rita managed and created a maritime claims department as a satellite branch to the head office in Norway for Star Shipping Canada Ltd. Star Shipping Canada is a break bulk carrier, under a Norwegian flag. Rita demonstrated immense leadership in setting new operative, handling standards with the collaboration of experts, with whom she worked.
Affective processes and procedures were implemented in the prevention of loss and damages to vessel, crew, cargo and port/terminal property. In addition to her past contributions working for freight forwarders and exporters in the resource sector, Rita managed documentation, claims departments and logistics functions for ports and railways.
Today she works as a contractor, providing expertise in all modes of transportation, assuring regulations and policy are not hindering consumer and end-buyers, including exporters, to prosper in the world of trade transactions.
Rita’s expertise in the dry bulk and break bulk industries, in creating track and trace systems to locate cargo, has been most affective in the UNCEFACT track and trace project, utilizing her expertise with a team of experts around the world, all having a background in regulatory, technology, operations, supply chain management.
Today having a world of valuable knowledge in a progressive changing world of regulations and technology deployment along major supply chains, especially in the entry of goods and services, Rita has created workshops to assist all organizations. including policy makers, regulators and law makers. in making the right decisions.
