| TITLE |
DESCRIPTION |
| H & M |
A slip abbreviation used for the insurance of a ship and meaning ‘hull and machinery’. Where used in relation to the insurance of a sailing vessel, the abbreviation is deemed to mean ‘hull and materials’. |
| H B/L |
House Bill of Lading. A bill of lading issued by a freight forwarder or non-vessel owning carrier (NVOC). |
| H/C or h/c |
A slip abbreviation for ‘held covered’. |
| Hague Rules |
Following an International Maritime Law Conference in Brussels in 1922 a set of rules was agreed to establish the rights and immunities of carriers in respect of the carriage of goods by sea. Many of the countries agreeing to the rules later incorporated them in statutory Acts, such as the “Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1924”. These rules were replaced by the Hague/Visby rules in 1968 and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (1971) followed to replace the 1924 Act. Further agreements resulted in the Hamburg Rules in 1978, although, so far, no further UK Act has appeared to give legal effect to the Hamburg Rules. |
| Hague/Visby Rules |
A set of rules devised by international agreement to amend the Hague Rules, 1924, and the basis for determining the rights and responsibilities of overseas carriers and shippers in regard to the carriage of goods. The amendment took the form of the Brussels Protocol of 1968 but could not be enforced at law until sufficient signifying countries had ratified the agreement. The British Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, 1971, was based on the amendment, but due to delay in ratification by the required number of countries, did not receive Royal Assent until 1977. At the time of revision (1987), although acceptance of the rules is not worldwide, more than 20 countries have ratified the rules. |
| Hamburg Rules |
The United Nations held a diplomatic conference in March 1978 to consider a UNCITRAL draft convention on the carriage of goods by sea which draft had been approved by UNCTAD. The delegates adopted a set of rules which came to be known as the ‘Hamburg Rule’. For these rules to receive force of law they need to be ratified by twenty countries. However, at the time of revision (1987) only a few countries have ratified the rules. |
| Harter Act |
U.S.A. law passed in 1893 to protect shipowners from liability for damage to cargo due to faults or errors in navigation provided the shipowner has exercised due diligence to ensure the vessel is properly manned, equipped and seaworthy. Partly superseded by the introduction of the U.S. Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1936, the Harter Act now applies only to coastwise shipping not embraced y the U.S. Carriage of Goods by Sea Act. |
| Hatch or Hatchway |
Opening in a ship’s deck through which cargo is lowered to or brought up from the holds. |
| Haulage |
A charge made by the Rail, Canal or Dock Authorities for the use or haulage of trucks, carriages or wagons whether loaded or not, also for the use of lines. A separate charge is made if the Authorities provide loading and unloading services. |
| HAWB |
House Air Waybill. An air waybill issued by a freight forwarder. |
| Heavy Lift |
A single unit of cargo that is too heavy to be handled by the average ship’s cargo handling gear. Specialised vessels, termed ‘heavy lift” ships, are fitted with derricks capable of lifting single items weighting anything between 25 and 1,000 tons. |
| Held Covered |
This term is used where an assured wishes to be certain, in advance, that his interest will continue to be insured in the event of a circumstance arising whereby the insurance would not continue in the absence of any prior agreement. |
| Hellenic Register of Shipping |
A Greek Classification Society wherein Greek registered vessels are classed. The highest class in this register is shown by the cypher A100E. Vessels classed with the Hellenic Register may appear in Lloyd’s Register with the notation HR. |
| High Seas |
Parts of oceans and/or seas which are not within any territorial waters and are therefore beyond the jurisdiction of any State. |
| Hold |
Part of a ship below deck where cargo is stowed. Ships are divided by bulkheads into several holds which are numbered consecutively. |
| Hold Harmless |
An American expression used when a claim has been paid but there is a possibility of the claim being put forward a second time legitimately by another party. By the term the assured agrees to “hold harmless” the insurer in such an eventuality. That is, the assured agrees to refund to the insurer the claim paid. Also used when an assured is required to give to a third party a “hold harmless” agreement in which case the insurers are asked to accept the assured’s liability arising from such agreement. |
| Home Port |
The Port of Registry of a ship. |
| Home Trade |
Shipping trade within U.K. limits. Usually deemed to include Continental ports between Brest and Elbe. |
| Hook Damage |
Holes torn in baled goods or made in sacks, causing leakage, by the handling hooks used by stevedores. |
| Hull |
This is the shell of the ship without taking into account the ship’s machinery. |
| Hull and Machinery |
A term used in a hull slip or policy to define the subject matter insured as being the named ship itself, rather than an ancillary shipowner’s interest relating to the ship. |
