Work / DHL blog
Limited freight liability
A plain-language article on what ocean freight liability actually covers, and the added protection most cargo owners choose alongside it.
Freight liability is included in every ocean carriage contract, but by international convention it is capped by weight rather than value, and a claim needs proof that the carrier was at fault, a process that can take months. This piece explains those rules under the Hague-Visby, Hamburg and Rotterdam conventions, and what they mean in practice: what a $70,000 shipment is worth under each one if something goes wrong.
In case of a claim, freight liability reimbursements will typically be based on weight and not on the value of your cargo.
The worked example puts figures on it: US$70,000 of goods weighing 2,850 kg, lost at sea, comes back as US$8,000 under Hague-Visby, US$10,000 under Hamburg and US$12,000 under Rotterdam.
