ABSTRACT
In the days of break-bulk, port-to-port carriage, carriers operated one contract only: the contract of carriage in the bill of lading as this covered all of their activities. Any carrier who undertakes services over and above the contract of carriage, without adopting a set of standard trading conditions to cover those services, risks operating without the protection of a contract. Like the bill of lading terms and conditions, these conditions start with a series of definitions of important words, which are self-explanatory. The clause finishes with a provision that any variation of the terms and conditions has to be on the company’s stationery and signed by an authorized official of the company. If the company wishes to be able to claim to act as an agent it must, upon demand by the customer, provide evidence of any contract entered into on behalf of the customer.
