§191. Stipulations relieving from exercise of due diligence in equipping vessels

It shall not be lawful for any vessel transporting merchandise or property from or between ports of the United States of America and foreign ports, her owner, master, agent, or manager, to insert in any bill of lading or shipping document any covenant or agreement whereby the obligations of the owner or owners of said vessel to exercise due diligence ¹ properly equip, man, provision, and outfit said vessel, and to make said vessel seaworthy and capable of performing her intended voyage, or whereby the obligations of the master, officers, agents, or servants to carefully handle and stow her cargo and to care for and properly deliver same, shall in any wise be lessened, weakened, or avoided.

(Feb. 13, 1893, ch. 105, §2, 27 Stat. 445 .)

Effective Date

Section effective July 1, 1893, see section 8 of act Feb. 13, 1893, set out as a note under section 190 of this Appendix.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 194, 196, 1311 of this Appendix.

¹ So in original. Probably should be followed by "to".