Damages found in stow during voyage checks, and where no responsible party can be determined, should be considered the responsibility of the Port of Load, unless it is obvious that the damage did not occur during the loading operation. The IDR reporting field "Port of Damage" should be set to Port of Load and the reporting field "Damage occurred" to "Found in stow".
Ownership and responsibility for investigating damages found in stow and following up, falls on the quality function in the region where the port of load/damage is located.
NOTE: Damages claimed to be "found in stow" should be accompanied by photos of the damage once units are still onboard and in the stow or just broken out from stow. If reported after discharge, a damage cannot be considered "Found in stow" unless it is obvious that this is the case. Communication between quality functions in different regions should take place if in doubt.
See Damages "Found-In-Stow" By Stevedoring Before Discharge for additional instructions on Found-in-Stow damages