Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA)

A Carriage of Goods by Sea Act is a domestic statute that gives the Hague or Hague-Visby Rules the force of law over outbound (and sometimes inbound) carriage from that state. The label hides two very different instruments: the US COGSA 1936 still enacts the unamended 1924 Hague Rules with a USD 500-per-package limit, while the UK Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1971 enacts the Hague-Visby Rules with the higher SDR-denominated limits. Which Act applies, and through which contractual or statutory route, decides the carrier’s package limit and the one-year time bar.