Legal Definitions - wantage

Wantage refers to a shortfall or deficiency in the quantity of something. More specifically, in legal and commercial contexts, it describes the condition where a container, such as a vessel or tank, is not completely full, meaning there is less content than its stated or expected capacity. This deficiency often arises from factors like leakage, evaporation, or inaccurate filling.

• Example 1: Maritime Cargo Shipment
  A large oil tanker departs from a port carrying crude oil. After a long voyage across the ocean, the tanker arrives at its destination. When the receiving facility measures the volume of oil discharged, they find it is slightly less than the amount recorded when the tanker was initially loaded. This difference, which could be due to minor evaporation of the oil or a small, undetectable leak in one of the cargo tanks during transit, is considered wantage. It represents the deficiency in the expected full volume of the cargo.

• Example 2: Industrial Chemical Storage
  A chemical processing plant stores a highly corrosive liquid in several large, sealed storage tanks. During a routine inventory audit, technicians discover that one particular tank, which was certified as full a month prior, now shows a lower liquid level. Upon investigation, a tiny, slow leak is found in a pipe connection leading from the tank. The volume of chemical lost due to this leak, resulting in the tank no longer being full, constitutes wantage.

• Example 3: Packaged Goods Distribution
  A beverage company ships a large consignment of bottled fruit juice to a supermarket chain. When the supermarket's receiving department inspects the delivery, they notice that several bottles within various cases are visibly underfilled, meaning the liquid level is below the standard fill line, even though the bottles are sealed and undamaged. This consistent underfilling across multiple units, representing a deficit from the intended full volume of each bottle, can be described as wantage in the context of the product's quantity.