Banana Cargo Discoloration and Fungal Infection: Investigating Causes and Responsibility

Based on the provided report and photos, it's evident that the main problem with the cargo is discoloration and softening, indicating ripening. The storage period of bananas is influenced by several factors, including harvest maturity, pre-processing methods, storage temperature, and controlled atmosphere. Among these factors, storage temperature is the only one related to transportation. However, after reviewing the container temperature records, it is clear that the supply air temperature remained consistently close to the set temperature throughout the transportation process. Therefore, we can speculate that the shortened storage period of the goods is most likely due to inherent issues with the cargo itself.

Another issue with this batch of cargo is fungal infection, which is usually caused by poor pre-processing of the goods. Considering the above, we believe that the problems encountered with this batch of goods are a result of poor quality and not the carrier's responsibility for the loss of the goods.