The Hague Rules of 1924 (formally the "International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law relating to Bills of Lading, and Protocol of Signature")[1] is an international convention to impose minimum standards upon commercial carriers of goods by sea.
The Hague Rules represented the first attempt by the international community to find a workable and uniform way to address the problem of shipowners regularly excluding themselves from all liability for loss or damage to cargo.
[5][6] Under the Hague Rules the shipper bears the cost of lost/damaged goods if they cannot prove that the vessel was unseaworthy, improperly manned or unable to safely transport and preserve the cargo, i.e. the carrier can avoid liability for risks resulting from human errors provided they exercise due diligence and their vessel is properly manned and seaworthy.
These provisions have frequently been the subject of discussion between shipowners and cargo interests on whether they provide an appropriate balance in liability.
The Hague Rules have been updated by two protocols, but neither addressed the basic liability provisions, which remain unchanged.