The carriage of goods by sea with particular reference to their delivery at port of destination

Abstract

The subject of this thesis is "The carriage of goods by sea wwith particular reference to thier delivery at port of destinattion." This study would, however, bee incomplete if onee were not to give a brief outline of the histtory of the Bill of Lading and make a brief reference to the concept thereof and to the functions wwhich emerge from that conceept and especially to that part which has led to Governments and Parliaments of the time to convene severral conferencces in order to limit the ever-ncreasing number of clauses then beeing inserted by ship owners exonerating them from their responsibility towards the shipperss. It is my intention to discuss in this thesis the reponsibilities which arise when a contract of carriage is entered into between a shipper and a carrier. This contract is generally in writinng : thus the rights and duties of the parties are generally well-defined. They are naturally also regualted by the laws and customs then prevailing. As the title to this thesis itsel implies, I will be laying my emphasis on the port of destination and I will be referring to the pirt of departuree only in so far s it may have a bearing at Malta, which is the final port for the purposes of this thesis. One might say that in many respects, and this is especially truee with regard to Civil law, Roman law has been the basis off our legal system. Other codes, however, have also had their degree of influence butt not to the extent of Roman law. With regard to Commercial law, and more so with regard to that branch more commonly knowwn as Maritimee law, Roman law had practically no influence at all.