No "on-deck" notation

A ship agent in the Far East booked four packages of spare parts and materials for a road construction project for an East African port. The packages were stowed on deck by the carrier and the mate’s receipt was marked accordingly. Unfortunately, due to confusion in the agent’s office, the notation “shipped on deck at shipper’s risk” was inadvertently omitted from the bill of lading. A claim for salt water damage in the amount of USD220,000 was made against the carrier. If the bill of lading had been claused for on deck stowage, the carrier would have been able to reject such a claim. The carrier eventually settled the claim for USD171,000 and obtained an indemnity from the load port agent.