This expression is wider than appears at first sight. Under English law the master of a ship is invested with wide duties and responsibilities to take care of the goods entrusted to his charge. These duties derive in part under the law of bailment, since a shipowner who receives the goods for carriage is a bailee for reward and the master of the ship is the person responsible for exercising the duties of care which follow from that legal relationship. In some of the law cases dealing with this subject the master is said when exercising this authority to be acting as an “agent of necessity” for the owners of the property entrusted to his care.
In the event of a serious casualty, a shipowner may be responsible for the payment of substantial sums for the preservation and care of cargo, all of which (in the absence of his actionable fault) he will be entitled to recover as Special Charges on Cargo.
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