Issue of multimodal transport document 7.
1. Where the consignor and the multimodal transport operator have entered into a contract of the multimodal transportation and the multimodal transport operator has taken charge of the goods, he shall, at the option of the consignor, issue a negotiable or non – negotiable multimodal transport document.
2. The multimodal transport document shall be signed by the multimodal transport operator or by a person duly authorized by him.
Multimodal transport document to be regarded as document of title 8.
1. Every consignee named in the negotiable or non negotiable multimodal transport document and every endorsee of such document, as the case may be, to whom the property in the goods mentioned therein shall pass, upon or by reason for such consignment or endorsement, shall have all the rights and liabilities of the consignor.
2. Nothing contained in sub – section (1) shall prejudice or affect the right of the multimodal transport operator to claim freight from the consignor or enforce any liability of the consignee or endorsee by reason of his being such consignee or endorsee.
Contents of Multimodal Transport document 9.
The multimodal transport document shall contain the following particulars, namely :-
a. the general nature of the goods, the leading marks necessary for identification of the goods, the character of the goods (including dangerous goods), number of packages or units and the gross weight and quantity of the goods.
b. apparent condition of the goods;
c. the name and principal place of business of the multimodal transport operator;
d. the name of the consignor.
e. the name of the consignee, is specified by the consignor;
f. the place and the date of taking charge of the goods by the multimodal transport operator ;
g. the place of delivery of the goods;
h. the date or the period of delivery of the goods at the place of delivery.
i. whether it is negotiable or non – negotiable.
j. the place and date of its issue.
k. freight payable by the consignor or the consignee, as the case may be;
l. the signature of the multimodal transport operator or of a person duly authorized by him;
m. the intended journey route, modes of transport and places of transshipment, if known at the time of its issue;
n. terms of shipment and statement that the document has been issue subject to an in accordance with his Act; and
o. any other particulars which the parties may agree to insert in the document, if any such particular is not inconsistent with any law for the time being in force.
Reserval ……. In the multimodal transport document 10.
1. Where the multimodal transport operator or a person acting on his behalf knows, or has reasonable grounds to suspect, that the particulars furnished by the consignor in the multimodal transport document to not accurately represent the goods actually taken in charge, or if he has no reasonable means of checking such particulars, the multimodal transport operator or a person acting on his behalf shall insert in the multimodal transport document a reservation specifying the inaccuracies, if any, the grounds of suspicion or the absence of reasonable means of checking the particulars.
2. Where the multimodal transport operator or a person acting on his behalf fails to insert the reservation in the multimodal transport document relating to the apparent condition of the goods, he shall be deemed to have accepted the goods in apparent good condition.
Evidentiary effect of the multimodal transport document 11.
Save as provide in Section 10.
a. the multimodal transport document shall be prima facie evidence of the fact that the multimodal transport operator has taken charge of the goods as described in the document; and
b. no proof to the contrary by the multimodal transport operator shall be admissible if the multimodal transport document is issued in negotiable form and has been transmitted to the consignee or transferred by the consignee to a third party, if the consignee or the third party acted in good faith relying on the description of the goods in the document.
Responsibility of the consignor 12
1. The consignor shall be deemed to have guaranteed to the multimodal transport operator the adequacy and accuracy, at the time the multimodal transport operator takes charge of the goods, of the particulars referred to in clauses (a) and (b) of section 9 as furnished by the consignor for insertion in the multimodal transport document.
2. The consignor shall indemnify the multimodal transport operator against loss resulting from inadequacy or inaccuracy of the particulars referred to in sub – section (1).
3. The right of the multimodal transport operator under sub – section (2) shall in no way limit his liability under the multimodal transport contract to any person other than the consignor.