Contracts Of Affreightment

A contract of affreightment is an agreement between a charterer and a ship owner where the ship owner agrees to transport a specific number of goods for the charterer at a specified period. The entire process of carriage of goods by sea encompasses a series of bailments. The bailees include ship owners, charterers, shipping agents, stevedores, port authorities, container terminal operators and transporters operating from the Wharf.

The bailee of goods has a duty at common law to redeliver goods bailed to him to the bailor on demand. Hence, a common carrier as a bailee under common law has a higher standard of care for the goods bailed to him. The liability of a ship owner at common law varies depending on whether or not he is a common carrier. He is a common carrier when he employs his ship as a general ship and is ready to accept for transport any goods tendered to him, subject to his having available space and he is paid appropriate freight. He is a private