Course Listing

Carriage of Goods by Sea
Last Updated Date:   4 July 2025


5 Units,  Semester 1

Course Description:
This course focuses on the transport documents used in contracts for the carriage of goods by sea, including bills of lading (B/Ls), sea waybills, and delivery orders and the growing trend towards eB/Ls. The Bills of Lading Act 1992, the Electronic Transactions Act 2010 (as amended) and the UK Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 will be considered. The course will analyse the rights and liabilities of the parties to such contracts of carriage, including the shipowner, the charterer, the cargo owner, the lawful holder of the bill of lading etc. The major international convention on the carriage of goods by sea, the Hague and Hague-Visby Rules, will be considered in some detail. A (non-examinable) overview of the Hamburg Rules and the Rotterdam Rules will be given.

Course Convenor: Prof Stephen D Girvin

Co-teacher(s): NA

Course Codes: LL4008AV / LL5008AV / LL6008AV / LC5204AV / LCD5204AV / LLJ5008AV

Contact Hours: 3-hr weekly seminar

Workload: 3 hours

Mode of Assessment: LLM/GDMLA/LLB:
Class Participation-10%; Research Paper (incl 2,500 word paper) - 20% [Release end of Week 5, due in Week 8] & 6-hr Take Home Exam - 70% [Release: Tue, 18 Nov 2025 (4pm); Due: Tue, 18 Nov 2025 (10pm)]

Preclusions: LL4008/LL5008/LL6008 Carriage of Goods By Sea [Read before AY11/12]

Prerequisites: NUS Compulsory Core Law Curriculum or common law equivalent.

Examination Date: Different Mode of Examination

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