The Carriage of Goods By Sea Act 1992 (c. 50) is a UK statute regarding bills for the lading of goods onto ships. It repealed the Bills of Lading Act 1855^[2] (18 & 19 Vict. c. 111) and made new provisions.

Quick Facts Long title, Citation ...

Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to replace the Bills of Lading Act 1855 with new provision with respect to bills of lading and certain other shipping documents.
Citation	1992 c. 50
Territorial extent	England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland Singapore[1]
Dates
Royal assent	16 July 1992
Commencement	16 September 1992
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Bills of Lading Act 1855
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Carriage of Goods By Sea Act 1992 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

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Quick Facts Bills of Lading Act 1855, Long title ...

Bills of Lading Act 1855
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to amend the Law relating to Bills of Lading.
Citation	18 & 19 Vict. c. 111
Dates
Royal assent	14 August 1855
Repealed	16 September 1992
Other legislation
Repealed by	Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

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The Bills of Lading Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 111) was commendably brief and proved useful, but as time went by certain defects became apparent.^[3] The English courts devised some ways round the problem: in Brandt v Liverpool (1924) ^[4][5] the concept of implied contracts was developed, although the courts proved reluctant to use this concept.^[6] Nevertheless, there were difficulties relating to passing of property and passing of risk.^[7]

The Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission addressed the issue in a report, "Rights of Suit in respect of Carriage of Goods by Sea".^[8][9][10] The Report contained a draft bill which Parliament adopted in full without amendment.^[11]

The statute makes provision for Bills of Lading and other documents of carriage, as follows:

• s.1: The CoGSA 1992 now applies to: bills of lading, sea waybills, and ship's delivery orders. A bill of lading must be negotiable, and includes a "received for shipment" bill.
• s.1 also empowers the Minister to make regulatory provision (by way of a Statutory Instrument) in respect of electronic transactions and electronic bills of lading.
• s.2: A person who becomes the lawful holder of a bill of lading (or sea waybill, or delivery order) shall have transferred to and vested in him all rights of suit under the contract of carriage as if he had been a party to the contract.
• s.3: Where such a person (s.2) takes or demands delivery of the goods (or makes a cargo claim), that person becomes subject to the same liabilities under that contract as if he had been a party to that contract.
• s.4: A bill of lading which represents goods to have been shipped, and which is signed by the ship's master or his agent is conclusive evidence of receipt for shipment.
• (s.4 quashes the rule in Grant v Norway 1851).^[12][13]

A bill of lading serves three main functions:

• it is a conclusive receipt, i.e. an acknowledgement that the goods have been loaded;
• it contains or evidences the terms of the contract of carriage; and
• it serves as a document of title to the goods, subject to the nemo dat quod non habet rule.

Although the term "bill of lading" is well known and well understood, it may become obsolete. Articles 1:15 and 1:16 of the Rotterdam Rules create the new term "transport document"; but (assuming the Rules come into force) it remains to be seen whether shippers, carriers and "maritime performing parties" (another new Rotterdam Rules coinage) will abandon the long-established and familiar term, "bill of lading".

The Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1971 incorporates the Hague-Visby Rules into English Law. These rules require (where the Article X invokes the Rules) that, on demand, the carrier must provide the shipper with a bill of lading that meets the requirements of Article III. Although CoGSA 1992 cannot amend the Hague-Visby Rules, which are an International Convention, s.4 of the 1992 Act (above) upgrades the status of a bill of lading to be conclusive evidence of receipt for shipment.

• Seaworthiness (law)