The Maritime and Commercial Court recently held that there is no basis for an interpretation that the time limit for a recourse claim can be extended beyond the total time limit of two years. Thus, the time limit for a recourse claim between sea carriers for damage to cargo which falls under the Merchant Shipping Act is, as a general rule, a maximum of two years from the date on which the damaged cargo was delivered.
The Danish Maritime and Commercial Court recently rejected a jurisdictional claim in a dispute between a Danish shipowner and a Spanish shipyard. It follows from the judgment that a jurisdiction clause in a repair contract in some instances requires that the party which receives the other party's general terms and conditions must accept the jurisdiction clause in writing in order for it to be binding between the parties.
The Maritime and Commercial Court recently examined a compensation claim for stolen champagne. The customer argued that the carrier should have taken precautions to protect the goods against theft. However, the court decided that the carrier could limit its liability for the theft. The judgment is in line with Danish court practice concerning liability for the theft of high-value and exposed goods.
A Danish court recently found a freight forwarder to be vicariously liable to a Danish company for fire damage caused to cargo carried by a subcontractor. The judgment suggests that a contracting carrier may incur liability where a general average situation is deemed to have occurred if it fails to provide information to its customer about the concrete circumstances that give rise to the general average situation, even when the contracting carrier holds no information about said circumstances.
A recent Maritime and Commercial Court case examined a claim for damage to goods during unloading under the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR). The court found that a CMR carrier is not liable for damage in connection with the unloading of goods irrespective of whether the unloading was performed by a driver, as drivers in such instances may be deemed to act on behalf of consignees.