Rotterdam Rules Gaining Speed

The European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO and the World Shipping Council (WSC)

have welcomed the recommendation by the European Parliament that EU Member States should move “speedily to sign, ratify and implement the UN Convention on Contracts for the ‘Rotterdam Rules.” As LM readers know, the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, has also been endorsed by the National Industrial Transportation League as a more seamless method for establishing the new maritime liability system.

?The Rotterdam Rules, adopted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) will replace the existing cargo liability regimes such as the Hamburg and Hague/Visby Rules.

Shipowner organizations firmly believe that this will achieve greater global uniformity for cargo liability, facilitating e-commerce through use of electronic documentation, reflecting modern ‘door to door’ services involving other modes of transport in addition to the sea-leg and ‘just in time’ delivery practices.

Following a thorough and detailed analysis of the Rotterdam Rules, ECSA, ICS, BIMCO and WSC have all concluded that this important new regime must be promoted by the industry to avoid the risk of a proliferation of regional cargo liability regulations.

However, early ratification of the UNCITRAL Convention by major trading nations, such as EU Member States, will almost certainly give this process