International Trade

The specialists at Van Traa are highly knowledgeable in international trade (commodity trade) in such matters as transport, warehousing, insurance aspects and financing. They know the mores and the players in the market.

Our specialist teams have a lot of experience in assisting companies that are active in the field of trading in hard & soft commodities, such as grains, seeds, legumes, oils, fats, metals, coffee and cocoa. They also have specialist knowledge of legal issues arising from the production of and the trade in biological products. They regularly represent clients dealing with the decertification of a biological product and the consequences in that respect.

Their thorough knowledge of the (legal) relationships between parties in international trade enables the team to legally and practically advise our clients and help solve issues that may arise as a consequence of a (partial) breach of contract within a short time frame. For example in the event of fraud with goods and/or documents, situations in which goods perish as a consequence of a fire in a warehouse or situations in which discrepancies in documents lead to a bank’s refusal to make payments.

Van Traa's clients are both big and small trading companies, their banks and insurers. Our teams do not only provide advice on the legal aspects, they also strive to solve problems as efficiently as possible, often under time pressure. Their close cooperation with surveyors and a worldwide network of correspondent lawyers enables them to quickly find a proper solution for the matter at hand.

Our team litigates in trade disputes, both in court as well as with the known arbitration institutes.

Van Traa is a member of Royal Dutch Grain and Feed Trade Association, NOFOTA (Netherlands Oils, Fats and Oilseeds Trade Association) and the English Associations GAFTA (The Grain and Feed Trade Association) and FOSFA (Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations).