Opinion ID: 151053
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The OWL Bill of Lading

Text: The OWL bill of lading, issued on June 15, 2006, contained numerous boilerplate terms, as is typical for bills of lading. First, it included a Clause Paramount, which provided that the transportation would be subject to the $500 per-package liability limitation of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA), 46 U.S.C. § 30701 note. [6] Like most Clauses Paramount, this one extends COGSA beyond the tackle-to-tackle period. [7] Second, Clause 5(D)(3) of the bill of lading provided: If COGSA applies then the liability of the Carrier shall not exceed US$500 per package or customary freight unit unless the value of the Goods has been declared on the face hereof with the consent of the Carrier and extra freight has been paid in which case Clause 10 shall apply and the declared value (if higher) shall be substituted for the limit and any partial loss or damage shall be adjusted pro-rata on the basis of such declared value. J.A. 82, 88. White Horse, as is typical for most shippers, did not declare the value of the packages; instead, White Horse bought insurance from Royal & Sun. [8] Third, the OWL bill of lading included what is known as a Himalaya Clause. A Himalaya Clause extends contractual protections that would otherwise apply only to the entity issuing the bill of lading to the subcontractors of the issuing entity as well. [9]