Seven things to know before you start

These are the parts of our agreement most likely to matter to you if something goes wrong. Please read each one and tick it. They are also in the full agreement, but we would rather you saw them here than found them later.

1 · We never handle your money

Meridian does not take, hold or pass on payments. When you buy fuel you pay the supplier directly. If you pay someone and get nothing, your claim is against them, not against us — we never had your money, so we cannot get it back for you.

• I understand

2 · We never hold your fuel

Meridian does not own, store or transport fuel. If a load goes missing, comes up short, or arrives contaminated, your claim is against the supplier or the transporter — whichever of them had it at the time.

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3 · Our shortage findings are evidence, not a verdict

We measure fuel at loading and at delivery and tell you where a difference appears to have arisen. That is our opinion from the readings, not a ruling. It does not decide who owes what, it does not bind either of you, and either of you is free to disagree and pursue it. Measurement in this trade is imprecise; our records narrow the question, they do not close it.

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4 · We check you against international sanctions lists, and we may suspend you

We screen every business and the people behind it against sanctions and debarment lists, and re-check regularly. If a check is unresolved or out of date, we may suspend your account or stop a delivery — and we will not be liable for what that costs you, even if the match later turns out to be someone with a similar name.

We know that is a hard rule. It exists because one delivery to a sanctioned party would end this business, and there is no cautious middle ground.

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5 · There is a limit on what we can be liable for

If we get something wrong, the most we can be liable for across any twelve months is the subscription you paid us in that period, or US$1,000 — whichever is larger. We are also not liable for lost profits or knock-on business losses.

This is because our subscription is a small fixed monthly amount while the fuel moving is worth vastly more. The risks in the trade itself sit with the people who own, sell, carry and buy the fuel. If you need cover matching the value of your cargo, that is what insurance is for — and if you carry fuel using Meridian, we require you to have it.

None of this applies to fraud, gross negligence, death or personal injury caused by us, or anything the law does not let us limit. Those remain fully our responsibility.

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6 · You cover us for claims caused by you

If someone sues us because of something you did — breaking this agreement, breaking the law, fuel you sold or carried, or information you gave us that was untrue — you cover our costs. This does not apply where the fault is our own fraud, gross negligence or deliberate misconduct.

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7 · We keep your identity and screening records for five years

Even after you close your account. We cannot delete them on request during that time. A compliance record that can be erased whenever someone asks is not a compliance record, and being able to show who we checked and when is the whole point of doing it.

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• I have read and I agree to the Meridian Platform Agreement.

*[link to the full agreement, open in place]*