The Sale of Goods Act 1979

The English rules governing contracts for the sale of goods derive from common law principles13 as codified and supplemented by parliamentary statute. The most significant source of law in this area is the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (the ‘‘1979 Act’’),14 the principal successor in title to the first major codification of the common law, the Sale of Goods Act 1893.15

Before considering in detail the principles of the 1979 Act as these relate to shipbuilding contracts, a number of preliminary points must be made regarding the classification of such agreements within the overall statutory framework.