Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims
6
Limitation: Carriage of Goods
The law relating to the carriage of goods by sea has developed over many centuries predominantly by way of precedent established by individual cases. However, the benefit of international uniformity by codification has been appreciated for some considerable time. Therefore in 1921 the shipping community met at the Hague and a body of rules known as the “Hague Rules” was formulated. The Rules were quickly adopted into the municipal legislation of a large number of countries1 and have been widely used ever since. The Hague Rules are in effect a collection of rules which define the rights and liabilities of the two parties concerned in an agreement to carry goods by sea, namely, the carrier and the cargo interest, including the right of the carrier to limit his liability to cargo claims.