Cargo claims decided by people who know freight.
Arbitration and mediation for cross-border transport disputes. Seated in Tbilisi. Awards enforceable in 172 countries.
What went wrong?
Every claim type below sets out the governing convention, your time limit, the evidence to gather, and what the procedure costs.
Cargo damage
Goods arrived broken, wet, contaminated, or out of temperature.
Read the guideCargo loss
Part or all of the consignment never arrived, or was delivered to the wrong party.
Read the guideDelay in delivery
The consignment missed an agreed delivery window, causing loss.
Read the guideDemurrage and detention
Containers or equipment held beyond free time at a port, terminal, or border crossing.
Read the guideUnpaid freight
Carriage charges, storage, or surcharges unpaid down the subcontractor chain.
Read the guideForwarder liability
A dispute over where responsibility sits between shipper, forwarder, and actual carrier.
Read the guideYour claim may already be running out.
Transport claims die on the clock more often than on the merits, and not every clock here is a limitation period you can interrupt. Check yours first.
Check your time limit| Regime | Limit | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Road (CMR) | 1 year | Limitation. Suspended by written claim. 3 years for wilful misconduct |
| Rail (CIM) | 1 year | Limitation, plus separate 7-day and 60-day extinction traps |
| Rail (SMGS) | 9 months | No extension. Pre-claim is compulsory |
| Air cargo (Montreal) | 2 years | Preclusive. The right is extinguished, not suspended |
An award from Tbilisi travels.
Georgia acceded to the New York Convention in 1994 with no reciprocity and no commercial reservation, the cleanest posture in the region. A court judgment does not travel nearly as far.
- 172
- States where a Georgian award is enforceable
- 1994
- New York Convention accession, no reservations
- 2006
- UNCITRAL Model Law text enacted in Georgian law
Under CMR Article 33 an arbitration clause is valid only if it requires the tribunal to apply the Convention. Our model clause does. A clause that simply names a city does not.
Get the arbitration clauseHow a claim runs
File
Submit the claim, the contract or consignment note, and the arbitration agreement. We confirm jurisdiction and the applicable convention.
Constitute
A sole arbitrator for claims under USD 100,000, three by default above it. You appoint from the panel or we appoint for you.
Decide
Documents only unless a party shows an oral hearing is necessary. Most transport claims are documentary and should be decided that way.
Enforce
The award is binding and final. Recourse is limited to annulment on the narrow grounds in Article 42.
Not-for-profit, and that is deliberate.
Georgian arbitration carries a reputation problem it earned. Most institutions here are limited liability companies, and the sector became known for consumer-credit work brought by the lenders who owned the caseload.
ADR.GE is operated by a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity. No shareholder takes a dividend from the outcome of your case. We publish our caseload every year.
About the institutionBringing a claim, or drafting a clause?
Tell us the route, the mode, and roughly when the loss occurred. We will tell you which convention governs and whether you are still in time.