ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns cargoworthiness, which is the second aspect of the legal concept of seaworthiness. A seaworthy vessel must be reasonably fit to receive and carry the cargo tendered, so the perils also include storage perils. They may even include the operation of sanitary or port regulations, where the enforcement of those regulations will inevitably cause damage to the cargo.
It concerns itself with the vessel’s capacity to receive and convey the cargo in good condition. The cargo compartments must be made fit for the carrier’s servants or agents properly and carefully to perform their obligations under article III, rule 2. “Seaworthiness” includes cargoworthiness, such that the vessel should be reasonably fit to receive and carry the cargo and deliver it at the specified destination. Thus, where a cargo requires heating, the vessel’s coils must be operative. Where the loading of cargo requires residues of previous cargo to be removed, those residues must be removed, whether it is in the sole interests of the cargo or in the interests of the safety of the vessel and cargo together, but contrast what is possible by the exercise of due diligence in cleaning.
