Maritime Law Practice Exam 2026 - Free Maritime Law Practice Questions and Study Guide

Redelivery is the actual handover of the cargo to the named consignee at the destination, and it is the moment at which the carrier’s obligation ends and risk passes to the consignee (subject to whatever the contract says). This focuses on the point where the goods are physically delivered into the consignee’s possession at the destination, not merely when they are loaded onto the vessel or when the ship first arrives at the port.

In practice, many carriage contracts tie the transfer of risk to redelivery, or to another point defined by the contract terms if they specify a different moment for risk transfer. That’s why redelivery is described as the point of delivery to the consignee at the destination, with risk transferring at that moment or per the contract.

Why the other milestones don’t fit as the definition: loading onto the vessel is an earlier step in the voyage and does not reflect the actual delivery to the consignee. Simply reaching the destination port is likewise an arrival event, not the act of delivering goods into the consignee’s hands. The essential concept is the formal delivery to the consignee at the destination (and the corresponding transfer of risk), which is what redelivery captures.