Responsibility of Shipowners Act 1733

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Acts of Parliament of predecessor states to the United Kingdom
Acts of English Parliament to 1601 Acts of English Parliament to 1641 Ordinances and Acts (War & Interregnum) to 1660 Acts of English Parliament to 1699 Acts of English Parliament to 1706 Acts of Parliament of Scotland Acts of Irish Parliament to 1700 Acts of Irish Parliament to 1800
Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom
1707–1719 \| 1720–1739 \| 1740–1759 1760–1779 \| 1780–1800 \| 1801–1819 1820–1839 \| 1840–1859 \| 1860–1879 1880–1899 \| 1900–1919 \| 1920–1939 1940–1959 \| 1960–1979 \| 1980–1999 2000–Present
Acts of the Scottish Parliament
Acts of the Northern Ireland Parliament
Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Measures of the National Assembly for Wales
Orders in Council for Northern Ireland
United Kingdom Statutory Instruments

The Responsibility of Shipowners Act 1733 (7 Geo. II, c.15) was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1734. The Act was introduced for the protection of shipowners, following a petition presented to the House of Commons, and passed without a division in either House. It imposed a limit on the liability of shipowners in regards to goods embezzled by the master or crew of the ship carrying them. The liability for any loss or damage of goods was limited to the value of the vessel, her equipment, and any freight due for the voyage. The Act was held to apply in the case of Sutton v. Mitchell, (1785) 1 T.R. 18, where goods were stolen from a ship moored in the Thames by robbers colluding with a member of the crew. However, this emphasised the liability shipowners were still exposed to in cases where the goods were stolen without the involvement of the crew; as a result, a second petition was brought to the House, leading to the passage of the Merchant Shipping Act 1786.