Volcafe Ltd and Others v Compania Sud Americana de Vapores SA – Court of Appeal (Gloster and King LJJ and Flaux J) – 10 November 2016

Carriage of goods by sea – Consignments of bagged coffee beans in containers carried on LCL/FCL terms – Cargo found to be damaged by condensation – Burden of proof – Inherent vice – Whether damage inevitable – Whether carrier failed properly and carefully to load and carry the goods – Temporal scope of Hague Rules

The claimant cargo interests claimed damages against the defendant carrier for condensation damage to consignments of coffee beans carried in unventilated containers of hessian bags from Colombia to north Germany. On outturn, the cargo was found to have suffered damage from condensation.