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Ship baggage claims: the notice window matters more than the cap

The answer: for sea carriage (cruise and ferry), the carrier owes your proven loss up to 2,250 SDR (~US$3,038) for cabin luggage, 3,375 SDR for other luggage and 12,700 SDR per vehicle (Athens Convention 1974 as amended by the 2002 Protocol, applied in the EU by Regulation (EC) No 392/2009 (Annex I)). But give written notice — apparent cabin damage before/at disembarkation, everything else within 15 days — or you hand the carrier a presumption you received it undamaged.

The caps (Annex I Art. 8)

WhatCapCarrier deductibleBasis
Cabin luggage2,250 SDR—Annex I Art. 8(1) — cabin luggage: 2,250 SDR per passenger per carriage
Other luggage3,375 SDR149 SDRAnnex I Art. 8(3) — other luggage: 3,375 SDR per passenger per carriage
Vehicle (incl. contents)12,700 SDR330 SDRAnnex I Art. 8(2) — vehicles including luggage in/on them: 12,700 SDR per vehicle per carriage

PROVEN loss/damage up to the cap — the caps are ceilings on documented value, not scheduled payouts; valuables deposited with the carrier are treated separately (Art. 5)

The notice windows (Art. 15)

Apparent cabin-luggage damage: written notice BEFORE OR AT disembarkation. Everything else (and non-apparent damage): written notice within 15 days of disembarkation or re-delivery. Missed notice = rebuttable presumption the luggage was received undamaged (Art. 15(2)) — the claim is weakened, not automatically barred; no notice needed if the luggage was jointly surveyed at receipt (Art. 15(3)).

The clock that actually kills it

Annex I Art. 16 — actions time-barred after 2 years (luggage: from disembarkation or when it should have occurred, whichever is later).

For AI agents & developers — deterministic eligibility with article-level citations and deadline math, pay-per-call (x402 USDC, no account): GET https://transitpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/rights/check?mode=rail&country=GB&delay_minutes=75&ticket_price=42.50&journey_date=2026-07-01 — $0.10 GET https://transitpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/rights/letter?...&operator=...&service_number=... — $2.00 (ready-to-send claim letter) GET https://transitpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/rights/check?mode=cruise&country=US&disruption=baggage_other&disembark_date=2026-07-01 — $0.10 (deadline math + caps)

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Generated 2026-07-07 by TransitPulse (The Aslan Group LLC) from the same source-cited legal reference data our paid engine uses. Informational, not legal advice — rules change; verify with the cited instruments. Contact: info@theaslangroupllc.com