Marine insurance

Inherent vice

It has been the law since the 18th century that a marine insurer is not liable for a loss caused not by some external marine peril but rather by the inability of the insured subject matter to withstand the ordinary incidents of a marine voyage. In Mayban General Assurance BHD and others v Alstom Power Plants Ltd , 7 May 2004, unreported, [2004] Lloyd’s Rep IR (forthcoming) the question for Moore-Bick J was whether damage to a cargo was caused by the nature of the cargo or by weather conditions.