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Quality Assurance and Inspection

  • Third-Party Inspections: Engaging independent, third-party inspectors to verify the quality and quantity of commodities at every stage.
  • Rigorous Sampling Methods: Using standardized and certified sampling methods to ensure representative samples are taken for testing.
  • Laboratory Analysis: Partnering with accredited laboratories to perform detailed chemical and physical analysis of commodities.
  • Certification Compliance: Ensuring that all commodities meet specific industry and client certifications, such as ISO or Fair Trade.
  • Quality Control Protocols: Implementing strict quality control checks at every transfer point, from loading to unloading.
  • Traceability: Maintaining a full chain of custody record for every commodity to ensure its origin and quality can be verified.
  • Documentation Management: Meticulously managing all quality assurance documentation to provide a complete audit trail.
  • Dispute Resolution: Having clear procedures in place to quickly and fairly resolve any quality-related disputes.
  • Contaminant Screening: Conducting tests to screen for contaminants and impurities that could affect the commodity's value.
  • Physical Asset Vetting: Ensuring that all storage and transport facilities meet the necessary quality standards for the commodity.
  • Supplier Audits: Conducting regular audits of suppliers' quality control processes to ensure consistency.
  • Product Specification Verification: Confirming that the final product meets all contractual specifications before it is shipped.
  • Post-Delivery Analysis: Offering post-delivery quality analysis to clients for their own assurance.

Based on the current geopolitical landscape and recent policy announcements, the US sanctions framework significantly impacts global commodity sales in 2025:

 

  • The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has intensified restrictions on Russia's energy sector, specifically targeting major oil producers and the affiliated maritime logistics networks to suppress commodity revenue streams.

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  • Compliance risk for commodity traders remains elevated due to the increased scrutiny of the shadow fleet and the potential for secondary sanctions on international actors facilitating the illicit transport of sanctioned crude oil and petroleum products.

Incoterms 2020 defines the essential responsibilities, costs, and risks for buyers and sellers in the international and domestic delivery of goods, standardizing commercial contract clauses globally. These rules, published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), ensure clarity in critical activities like export clearance, carriage obligations, and the precise point of risk transfer between the two parties. A fundamental change in Incoterms 2020 was the clarification of appropriate levels of insurance coverage for the CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) and CIP (Carriage and Insurance Paid To) rules, mitigating financial exposure for the cargo owner during transit. A significant structural update in Incoterms 2020 was the renaming of DAT (Delivered at Terminal) to DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded), providing flexibility for the delivery point to be any agreed-upon location, not strictly a terminal.