Shipowner Not Liable For Cargo Damage Resulting From Poor Stowage

Russian metal trading company Yuzhny Zavod Metall Profil (YZMP), the holder of a CONGEN 1994 bill of lading, took delivery of 411 coils of steel sheets at Novorossiysk, Russia, all with varying degrees of damage. YZMP decided to claim under the bill of lading against the owner, Eems Beheerder B.V., as carrier under the bill of lading. YZMP maintained that the owner was in breach of Article III Rule 2 of the Hague Rules 1924 (incorporated into the bill of lading) whereby the owner is required to "properly and carefully load, carry and discharge the goods".

It was the owner's defence that the Gencon 1994 charterparty was incorporated into the bill of lading. Crucially, the charterparty contained an Owners' Responsibility clause and a Loading and Discharging clause which stated that the cargo was to be loaded "by the Charterers, free of any risk, liability or expense whatsoever" and owners were only to be liable for "want of due diligence."