Hague Rules 1924
The Brussels Convention on bills of lading, its structure, and where it still applies unamended.
The Hague Rules are the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law relating to Bills of Lading, signed at Brussels on 25 August 1924 and in force from 2 June 1931. They set the first international floor for a sea carrier’s obligations and liabilities under a bill of lading.
The Rules remain in force in their unamended form in a number of States that never adopted the Visby or SDR Protocols, so the applicable limitation figure can be 100 pounds sterling per package rather than the Special Drawing Right figures of the amended regime. Article 14 of the Convention carries no numeric ratification threshold for entry into force.
The full article will cover the Harter Act origins, the sixteen articles, the due diligence and care obligations, the excepted perils, the package limitation, and the trades in which the unamended Rules still govern.