543. Power to land and warehouse cargo.

If there is no-one present to take delivery of cargo, the shipowner may be expressly empowered, by the terms of the contract1 or by the custom of the port of discharge2, to land and warehouse the cargo at the consignee's risk and expense. Where the contract is silent on the matter and there is no custom applicable to the case, the shipowner is not entitled to land the cargo at once; he must retain it on board for a reasonable period to give the consignee every opportunity of taking delivery3. Moreover, he has the right to retain the cargo