Vessels to bear responsibility for damaged cargo starting May

Transport Ministry has formulated a regulation that mandates vessel owners to bear responsibility for cargo which ends up damaged during transit.

An announcement publicized by the Ministry read that an owner of a vessel must ensure cargo loaded onto their vessel is transported, intact, to their destination. It further states that vessel owners must bear the responsibility for damage caused to goods by their negligence or by failure to maintain the safety standards aboard the vessel.

The regulation specifies the duties of the vessel's captain as well – to include monitoring crew members while they load goods onto the vessel to ensure they are carrying out the task in accordance with Transport Ministry’s regulation.

Any person loading cargo onto a vessel must disclose certain details regarding the goods to the vessel’s captain. They are;

• Name, address and phone number of the owner
• Name and phone number of the individual who will receive the goods
• Type of goods
• Whether the goods are fragile
• Whether the goods need to be stored at a specific temperature

The regulation also mandates vessel owners to compensate the owner of goods damaged by the negligence of the captain or crew members during loading or unloading. 

Additionally, the regulation states that the vessel's owner will be fined by MVR 2,000 for damages to goods resulting from the usage of fire aboard or loading beyond capacity.