Credit Requirements and Prepayment Policy
Bill-to parties must establish credit with the Authority or make other satisfactory payment arrangements approved by the Authority. For accounts without established credit, all charges must be prepaid. Cash transactions are not accepted. If the bill-to party is not identified or if payment arrangements have not been made, cargo will be placed on HOLD until resolved. 

Due Date and Delinquency
All invoices issued by the Authority are due and payable within thirty (30) calendar days from the invoice date. Any invoice not paid in full by the due date will be considered delinquent. Delinquent invoices will accrue interest at a rate of one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month until paid in full.

Failure to remit timely payment may result in:

• Suspension of credit privileges,
• Placement on the Authority’s delinquent list as outlined in Rule 34-040, and
• Legal action for recovery of outstanding balances, interest, attorney’s fees, and collection costs.
• The Authority taking additional enforcement action as outlined in Rule 34-094 Remedies for Delinquency, Non-Payment, or Default.

Disputed Charges
Customers must submit written notice of any disputed charges to the Authority’s Credit and Collections Department within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of the
invoice. If no such notice is received within that period, the invoice shall be deemed valid and payable in full.

Properly disputed charges shall not accrue interest during the dispute resolution process. However, the undisputed portion of the invoice must be paid in full within the original thirty (30)-day period. The Authority shall only negotiate invoice disputes with the bill-to party identified on the invoice.

Prohibition on Short-Payment, Off-Set

At no time shall an invoice be unilaterally reduced for any alleged loss, damage, or counterclaim. Charges and claims of all kinds shall be resolved as mutually agreed and the user shall not short pay or off-set said charges against any other payments due to the Authority. The user is prohibited from short-paying or offsetting amounts due to the Authority against unrelated claims.

Vessel Charges

On all vessels calling at the Authority’s terminals, the agents shall be responsible for the payment of all dockage and related charges, including wharfage. The Authority reserves the right to hold vessels, their owners, and/or agents who load, process or discharge cargo at its terminals liable for payment of all terminal charges on such shipments which have accrued, and any charges for the removal of such cargo to another part of the terminal, storage elsewhere, or other applicable charges (See Note 1). Charges that are normally assessed to the vessel or its agents, as provided for in this schedule, will not be assessed to any other party without prior approval of the Authority.

Handling and Storage Charges

When import breakbulk cargo is discharged at the terminals operated by the Authority in the Port of Brunswick, the handling charges will be invoiced to the bill-to party indicated on the delivery order. (Note 2) This same party will be responsible for any storage charges incurred. If the cargo delivery order has not been created in NAVIS by the time the first storage period ends, the party shown as the shipper on the bill of lading will be the responsible bill-to-party, provided they have established credit with the Authority. If this party has not established credit, responsibility remains with the vessel or its agents until the responsible party has established credit with the Authority or other acceptable payment terms have been arranged. Cargo will not be allowed to leave the Authority’s terminals until payment terms have been satisfied.

When export breakbulk cargo is received at the terminals operated by the Authority in the Port of Brunswick, the handling charges will be invoiced to the bill-to party indicated on the dock receipt (Note 2). This same party will be responsible for any storage charges incurred. The dock receipt will be the governing document as to the description and weight of the export cargo.

Transshipped Cargo
On breakbulk cargo, which has been discharged at ports, other than the Ports of Brunswick and Savannah, and then transshipped to Authority facilities by rail or motor carrier, the ocean carrier which discharged the cargo will be responsible for the handling charges for the initial receipt, and the first month’s storage, if any. Any additional charges shall become the responsibility of the bill-to party indicated on the delivery order, provided the said party has established credit with the Authority. If the said party does not have credit, the ocean carrier will continue to be responsible until the cargo account establishes credit.

Miscellaneous Charges
Other terminal charges such as, but not limited to, segregation, labeling, marking, weighing, etc., will be the responsibility of the same party that is invoiced for the handling charges unless otherwise agreed to by the Authority.

Note 1: Georgia Ports Authority does not hold vessels, their owners, operators, or agents responsible for payment of handling or storage charges on breakbulk cargo discharged at Authority terminals. However, if the owner, operator, or any agent of a vessel directs the Authority to bill such charges to the owner, operator, or agent of the vessel discharging the cargo, then the owner, operator, and all agents of the owner or operator shall be responsible for payment of such charges.

Note 2: If the person preparing the delivery order on import cargo or the dock receipt on export cargo places an incorrect bill-to party on the order, then that person and its company shall be responsible for getting the charges paid as the Authority will not cancel and re-bill.

For additional information regarding containerized cargo, see Rule 34-490 of this schedule.