Shipping Terms

First implemented in 1974, the York Antwerp rules are a set of international shipping guidelines that establish the rights and liabilities of shipping lines and shippers in cases where cargo has to be thrown overboard to protect a ship. These rules are a codification of the law of General Average, a maritime law under which all parties related to a particular shipment are legally bound to proportionately share any loss that arises from the sacrifice of cargo on board to save the remaining shipments. The York Antwerp rules were amended in 1994 and 2004.