1. Common and Private Carriers.—
The ship may be either a common or private carrier of goods or of passengers. In many respects carriage by water is only a subdivision of the general law of carriers and the more general principles apply as well to the ship as the railroad.
The common carrier is one who offers to carry for all who may choose to employ him. The private carrier is one who transports by virtue of a special agreement. The private carrier appears more frequently in water carriage than in land transportation. Most ships, for example, carrying bulk cargoes by special arrangement are private carriers. Most passenger ships are common carriers of passengers. Ships carrying miscellaneous or package freight, and running over regular routes, are common carriers. In general the distinction is by what they profess or offer to do,—whether to carry generally for the public, or only by special agreements.