What storage documents can and cannot establish

Read the claim precisely

Identify the issuer, date, parties and exact statement made by each document. Do not assume that a title or a familiar acronym establishes what happened operationally.

Seek appropriate confirmation

Where obtainable, ask the actual issuer to confirm relevant details through an independently established route. Keep that response separate from forwarded copies and assurances by interested parties.

Avoid conclusions beyond the evidence

A document review alone cannot establish current physical inventory, title, available capacity or future performance. Record unresolved issues and identify any further technical, legal or inspection work needed.

Ask what each document is intended to establish

A document may describe a company, a product, a proposed allocation or a completed movement. Those purposes are different. Identify the issuer, recipient, date, transaction reference and the claim you are being asked to rely on. Do not interpret a document title as proof of capacity, ownership, authenticity or authority without checking the underlying facts.

• Separate offers from executed agreements.
• Separate cargo quality information from title claims.
• Separate a proposed booking from confirmed acceptance.

Verify through the appropriate source

Where practical, seek confirmation from the purported issuer using an independently established channel. Ask whether the document is recognised and whether its scope matches the proposed transaction. Public company registration or a genuine website may help establish identity, but cannot by itself verify a specific cargo or payment instruction. Keep each check linked to the claim it addresses.

• Log who confirmed what and when.
• Preserve discrepancies for review rather than explaining them away.
• Avoid treating a scan or stamp as a complete verification.

Use documents as part of an evidence review

A review should bring together the relevant claims, confirmations and open questions. Specialist inspection, testing or legal advice may be required for issues outside a document review. If important evidence is missing, make the limitation visible before the decision. More documents do not automatically mean stronger evidence; relevance and independent corroboration matter.

• Request only material needed for the agreed scope.
• Keep sensitive information within the agreed handling process.
• Use the due diligence form to define the questions first.