‘Inherent vice’ is excluded from insurance cover by the Marine Insurance Act (MIA) 1906, S.55 (2) (c), an exclusion echoed by Clause 4.4 of the Institute Cargo Clauses (ICC). However, s.55 (2) of the act and ICC (A) (1982) Clause 4.4 failed to describe the meaning of the phrase clearly, which resulted in it being varied in various cases over the years.