Postgraduate Module Descriptor


LAWM067: Carriage of Goods by Sea

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

While the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is anticipated that the following topics will be covered:

Brief Introduction to English Contract Law

Introduction to Carriage of Goods by Sea

Implied Obligations in a Contract of Affreightment

Charterparties- Ships, Ports and Cargo

Voyage Charters: Freight, Laytime and Demurrage

Time Charters: Charter period, Hire and Employment and Indemnity

Liens, Damages and Frustration

Bills of Lading, charterparties and contracts of carriage

Functions of Bills of Lading

Bills of Lading and Third Parties

Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992

Application of the Hague-Visby Rules (HVR) to Bills of Lading - Overview and Carriers’ Duties

Application of the HVR to Bills of Lading - Claims

Bills of Lading- Hamburg Rules and Rotterdam Rules

Limits and Exceptions under the HVR

Review of the module

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
302700

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled learning and teaching activities30Seminars: 10 x 3 hour lecturer-led seminars. Students will be expected to make at least one presentation during the course of the seminar programme.
Guided independent study52Preparation for seminars/follow-up reading.
Guided independent study108Preparation for seminars – approx. 12 hours per seminar. This will include reading the key texts and cases, so that each seminar can be conducted at a high level and can discuss complex issues of both practical and theoretical concern.
Guided independent study20Preparation for formative exercise
Guided independent study 40Preparation for summative assessment
Guided independent study50Other guided independent study. This is intended to give students greater opportunity to examine specific issues, in particular the various forms of agreement that are found and the merits and demerits of the differing international codes which may be adopted by the parties. Guided reading, primarily based on articles in learned journals, will be recommended.

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

I-law, Westlaw, LexisNexis and BAILII are where the principal case reports (Lloyd’s Law Reports, The Law Reports and The English Reports) can be found, as well as some specialised journals. These on-line databases supplement the use of library and paper documents. Statutes can be found at www.legislation.gov.uk.

 

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Individual oral presentation of a critical commentary on a seminar topic10 minutes1-7Oral feedback from the lecturer and other students
Written formative assignment (mid-term)1,500 words1-7Written comments from the lecturer with oral feedback on request

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay807,500 words1-7Formal written feedback and an opportunity for oral feedback from the lecturer.
Presentation20Group presentation 10 minutes1-7Formal written feedback and an opportunity for oral feedback from the lecturer and other students

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Essay (7,500 words)Essay (7,500 words)1-7August/September re-assessment period
Presentation (10 minutes)Individual presentation (10 minutes)1-7August/September re-assessment period