ABSTRACT
The Hague–Visby Rules is a set of international rules for the international carriage of goods by sea. The Hague and Hague–Visby Rules are not a charter of new protections for cargo-owners; in fact, the English common law prior to 1924 provided more protection for cargo-owners and imposed more liabilities upon ‘common carriers'. Also, whereas the Hague–Visby Rules require a ship to be seaworthy only ‘before and at the beginning' of the voyage, under the Rotterdam Rules the carrier will have to keep the ship seaworthy throughout the voyage. The modern Rotterdam Rules, with some 96 articles, have far more scope and cover multi-modal transport but remain far from general implementation. The ‘waybill' is a document issued by a shipping company that provides the details and instructions relating to the shipment of a consignment of goods. Shipper's Load, Stow, and Count or Shipper's Load and Count are a term that is used extensively when drafting a B/L.
