An Israeli shoe manufacturer demanded compensation from a number of parties for damage caused to it as a result of the loss of a shipment of shoes sent to it from China to Israel, including the shipping agents in Israel, claiming that they are part of the maritime carrier.
The Court rejected outright the claims against the shipping agents. A shipping agent is not the "shipping carrier" itself, but rather an agency of the shipping carrier in the harbor, which provides services to it when its ships land. The actions and duties of the maritime carrier's agent include coordinating the transportation order, coordinating the docking and unloading window with the port authorities and other parties, sending messages regarding the date of the ship's entry into the port to the port authorities and the cargo receivers, ordering supplies to the ship, its systems and the crew serving on it, and issuing delivery orders to the cargo in accordance with the instructions of the maritime carrier. Because the demand for payment was for the actions of the maritime carrier, the claim against the shipping agents was rejected outright.