A warranty is that by which the assured undertakes that some particular thing shall or shall not be done, or that some conditions shall be fulfilled, or whereby he affirms or negatives the existence of a particular state of facts.
Warranties are the statement according to which an insured person promises to do or not to do a particular thing or to fulfill or not to fulfill a certain condition, and it is not merely a condition but a statement of fact.
Warranties are more vigorously insisted upon than the conditions because the contract comes to an end if a warranty is broken, whether the warranty was material or not.
In the case of condition or representation, the contract comes to an end only when these are material or important. Warranties are of two types; Express Warranties and Implied Warranties.
Express Warranties
Express warranties are those warranties that are expressly included or incorporated in the policy by reference.
Implied Warranties
These are not mentioned in the policy at all but are tacitly understood by the parties to the contract and areas fully binding as express warranties.
Warranties can also be classified as (1) Affirmative and (2) Promissory. An affirmative warranty is a promise that the insured gives to exist or not to exist certain facts.
A promissory warranty is a promise in which the insured promises that he will do or not do a certain thing up to the period of the policy. In marine insurance, implied warranties are very important.
Seaworthiness of Ship
The warranty implies that the ship should be seaworthy at the commencement of the voyage or if the voyage is carried out in stages at the commencement of each stage.
This warranty implies only voyage policies, though such policies may be of a ship, cargo, freight, or any other interest. There is no implied warranty of seaworthiness in time policies.
A ship is seaworthy when the ship is suitably constructed, properly equipped, officered and manned, sufficiently fueled and provisioned, documented, and capable of withstanding the ordinary strain and stress of the voyage.
The seaworthiness will be clear from the following points:
- The standard to judge seaworthiness is not fixed. It is a relative term and may vary with any particular vessel at different periods of the same voyage. A ship may be perfectly seaworthy for a Trans-ocean voyage, and a ship may be suitable for summer but may not be suitable for winter. There may be different standards for a different ocean, for different cargo, for different destinations, and so on.
- Seaworthiness does not depend merely on the condition of the ship, but it includes the suitability and adequacy of her equipment, adequacy, and experience of the officers and crew.
- At the commencement of the journey, the ship must be capable of withstanding the ordinary strain and arid stress of the sea.
- Seaworthiness also includes “Cargo-Worthiness.” It means the ship must be reasonably fit and suitable to cany the kind of cargo insured. It should be noted that the warranty of seaworthiness does not apply to the cargo, and it applies to the vessel only. There is no warranty that the cargo should be seaworthy; it cannot be expected from the cargo owner to be well-versed in the matter of shipping and overseas trade. So, it is admitted in the seaworthiness clause that the cargo would be seaworthy of the vessel and would not be raised as the defense to any claim for loss .by insured perils.
It should be noted that the ship should be seaworthy at the port of commencement of the voyage or at different stages if the voyage is to be completed in stages.
Legality of Venture
This warranty implies that the adventure insured shall be lawful and that so far as the assured can control the matter, it shall be earned out in the lawful manner of the country. Violation of foreign laws does not necessarily involve the breach of the warranty.
There is no implied warranty as to the nationality of a ship. The implied warranty of legality applies to total policies, voyage, or time. Marine policies cannot be applied to protect illegal voyages or adventures. The assured could have no right to claim a loss if the venture was illegal.
An example of an illegal venture may be trading with an enemy, violating national laws, smuggling, breach of the blockade, and similar ventures prohibited by law.
Illegality must not be confused with the illegal conduct of the third party, e.g., barratry, theft, pirates, or rovers. The waiver of this warranty is not permitted as it is against public policy.
Other Implied Warranties
There are other warranties that must be complied with marine insurance;
No Change in the Voyage
When the destination of the voyage is changed intentionally after the beginning of the risk, this is called a change in the voyage.
In the absence of any warranty contrary to this one* the insurer quits his responsibility at the time of change in the voyage. The time of change of voyage is determined when there is determination or intention to change the voyage.
No Delay in Voyage
This warranty applies only to voyage policies. There should not be a delay in starting the voyage and laziness or delay during the journey. This is an implied condition that the venture must begin within a reasonable time.
Moreover, the insured venture must be dispatched within a reasonable time. If this warranty does not comply, the insurer may avoid the contract in the absence of any legal reason.
No deviation
The liability of the insurer ends in the deviation of a journey. Deviation means removal from the common route or given path. When the ship deviates from the fixed passage without any legal reason, the insurer quits his responsibility.
This would be immaterial that the ship returned to her original route before a loss. The insurer can quit his responsibility only when there is an actual deviation and not the mere intention of the deviation.
Exceptions to warranties in marine insurance
There are the following exceptions to delay and deviation warranties:
- Deviation or delay is authorized according to a particular warranty of the policy.
- When the delay or deviation was beyond the reasonable approach of the master or crew.
- The deviation or delay is exempted for the safety of the ship or insured matter or human lives.
- Deviation or delay was due to barratry.