Period of Responsibility for Goods
BIFA (2005) Section 6.
When and to the extent that the Company has contracted as Principal for the performance of any of its services, it undertakes to perform and/or in its own name to procure the performance of those services, and subject always to the totality of these Conditions and in particular to Clauses 26-29 hereof accepts liability for loss of or damage to goods taken into its charge occurring between the time when it takes the goods into its charge and the time when the Company is entitled to call upon the Customer, Consignee or Owner to take delivery of the goods.
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Peter Jones' Commentary:
This clause deals with the position of forwarder who acts as a principal and assumes responsibility for goods as a carrier. The words "takes into its charges" mean more than take possession.
Under the Swiss Conditions the liability of the forwarder ceases at the point in time when the consignee or its representative takes receipt of the transported goods. However, the relevant time limits for bringing claims relating to hidden defects shall apply.
The CIFFA Conditions (2005) do not define the period of responsibility as the forwarder acts as agent, and does not take the goods "into its charge".