| Award 1144

Award N°1144 – Carriage of bagged rice under B/L – Shortage and damages – B/L with no heading – Identity of the sea carrier, timecharterer of the vessel. Claims from underwriters, subrogated in the rights of the receiver, lodged against the head owner were misdirected, because the sea carrier was clearly identified as being the time-charterer, inasmuch as the B/L was signed by the Master on behalf of the said time-charterer who had requested the receiver to pay port expenses on his behalf. It is common knowledge that the sea carrier is a contractor who organizes the carriage of goods and, when he does not own a vessel, took one under a time charter C-P, in which case the head owner remains only a provider of resources but not the carrier.