Hague Rules
International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law relating to Bills of Lading (Brussels, 25 August 1924), unamended
When it applies
Still the applicable regime in a number of states that never adopted the Visby or SDR Protocols, and in contracts that incorporate the 1924 text by a clause paramount.
Limit
Article IV rule 5£100 sterling per package or unit, expressed in the 1924 text as gold value. What that is worth today is a matter of national conversion law and is litigated; in some jurisdictions it is far lower than the Hague-Visby figure, in others the gold-value reading makes it higher.
Notice of loss
Article III rule 6Notice in writing before or at the time of removal where the loss is apparent, within three days otherwise.
Time bar
Article III rule 6One year from delivery or from the date of intended delivery.
When the limit is lost
Where the nature and value of the goods were declared by the shipper and inserted in the bill of lading.
What the cap pays on a sample consignment
Applying the published limit to a sample consignment of 1,000 kg gross, 10 packages, invoice value US$120,000. The consignment is an illustration chosen so the arithmetic is checkable — it is not an average, a typical shipment or a measurement.
No conversion between SDR and any currency is shown. The International Monetary Fund revalues the SDR every business day, so a converted figure printed on a page is wrong by the time it is read.
What this means for cover
A trade routed through a Hague Rules jurisdiction can face a recovery ceiling that is both lower and less predictable than Hague-Visby. Unpredictability is itself an argument for cover: the recovery is an argument, the certificate is a payment.
Other sea regimes
Sources
This page summarises the instruments above. It is not the wording, and it is not legal advice. Where a summary conflicts with a convention text, a policy wording or a certificate, that document governs.
InsuranceScanner is an insurance intermediary, not an insurer — see the Terms for our role. Nothing here is a personal recommendation that a particular cover, sum insured or deductible is suitable for you. Where anything on this page conflicts with the certificate, policy schedule or wording issued by an insurer, that document governs.