Jurisdiction and Arbitration Clauses in Maritime Transport Documents


Book Description

Jurisdiction and arbitration clauses are two different mechanisms that help to ensure impartiality and predictability in international dispute resolution. Despite their benefits, these clauses can be inconvenient for parties that are forced to litigate before distant fora. Moreover, particular problems arise in the context of maritime transport documents. Based on a broad comparative approach, this study seeks to explain the existing rules within their legal context and to develop a coherent system for such clauses, which takes into account the underlying interests as well as economic theory. While offering detailed answers to most issues surrounding jurisdiction and arbitration clauses in maritime transport documents, the book confronts the fundamental question of the limits of freedom of contract in an international setting.




Jurisdiction and Arbitration Agreements in Contracts for the Carriage of Goods by Sea


Book Description

Jurisdiction and Arbitration Agreements in Contracts for the Carriage of Goods by Sea focuses on party autonomy and its limitations in relation to jurisdiction and arbitration clauses included in contracts for the carriage of goods by sea in case of any cargo dispute. The author takes the perspective of the shipping companies and the shipowners, as these are the driving forces of the shipping industry due to their strategic importance. The book provides an analysis of the existing law on the recognition and validity of jurisdiction and arbitration clauses in the contracts for the carriage of goods by sea. The author also seeks to provide conclusions and to learn lessons for the future of the non-recognition and the non-enforcement of the clauses in the existing fragmented legal framework at an international, European Union, and national level (England & Wales and Spain). The interface between the different legal regimes reveals the lack of international harmonisation and the existence of ‘forum shopping’ when a cargo interest sues the shipowner or the party to whom the shipowner charters the vessel. This concise book provides a useful overview of existing research, for students, scholars and shipping lawyers




Arbitration Clauses in Maritime Contracts


Book Description

Arbitration clauses are sacrosanct in maritime contracts. Standard forms of charterparties and bills of lading reflect a desire to trade over the trusted dispute resolution choice of arbitration. However, when incorporating arbitration clauses, disputes and interpretational complexities continue to arise evidencing that the law is not settled yet. This book introduces a holistic evaluation of the commercial reasons and the legal principles that permeate the incorporation of arbitration clauses in modern maritime contracts, contrasting arbitration with exclusive jurisdiction clauses, where appropriate. The book presents a modern specialised legal study of incorporation of arbitration clauses into maritime contracts, considering recent developments and long-established principles of incorporation. Offering a thorough research into English, European, and Chinese law, with the objective to assess how the incorporation of arbitration principles crystallises through the years, the book will be of interest to researchers, legal practitioners, and commercial parties.




Arbitration in Egypt


Book Description

Egypt, and in particular the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), has clearly cemented its status as a preferred seat for arbitration cases in both the Middle East–North Africa (MENA) region and the African continent. To assist parties with a need or desire to arbitrate disputes arising in these regions – whether commercial or investment – this incomparable book, the first in-depth treatment in any language of arbitration practice under Egyptian law, provides a comprehensive overview of the arbitration process and all matters pertaining to it in Egypt, starting with the arbitration agreement and ending with the recognition and enforcement of the arbitral award. Citing more than 2,500 cases – both awards and arbitral-related court judgments – the book’s various chapters examine in detail how Egypt’s arbitration law, based on the UNCITRAL model law, encompasses such internationally accepted arbitral provisions and aspects as the following: application of the New York Convention; concept of arbitrability; choice of applicable law; formation of the arbitral tribunal; selection, rights, duties, liability, and challenge of arbitrators; arbitral procedures; evidence and experts and burden of proof; form and content of arbitral awards; annulment and enforcement procedures; interaction between Sharia law and arbitration; role of Egypt’s Technical Office for Arbitration (TOA); and judicial fees. Special issues such as third-party funding and public policy as well as particular areas of dispute such as construction, sports, real estate, labor and employment, tax, competition, intellectual property, and technology transfer are all covered. The author offers practical guidelines tailored to arbitration in these specific areas of law. An added feature is the many figures and other visuals that accompany the text. For whoever is planning to or is currently practicing arbitration in the Middle East, this matchless book gives arbitrators, in-house counsel and arbitration practitioners everything that is needed to answer any question likely to arise. This book should be on the shelf of every practitioner and academic wishing to comprehend arbitration in Egypt as construed by the Egyptian Courts. Review/Testimonial: “The book is an excellent contribution to understand and assess Egyptian international arbitration law and practice and invaluable guide for lawyers, arbitrators and academics working on arbitration cases connected to Egypt for three main reasons: First, a case law perspective that adds considerable value to the book. The author examines not only the text of laws but also the case law. On every issue, Mr Shehata quotes the positions of Egyptian courts, especially those of the Egyptian Cassation Court. With more than 2,500 cases cited, the book is a precious source to discover the Egyptian decisions originally only in Arabic. Through an analysis and commentary of a great number of decisions rendered by various levels of Egyptian courts, the book offers the most reliable source with regard to the interpretation and the application of the Law No. 27 of 1994 and the international conventions by Egyptian courts. Second, a complete and far-reaching analysis. The book covers all aspects of the arbitration process from the arbitration agreement to the enforcement of arbitral awards. It includes the specific arbitration sectors such as sport arbitration, construction arbitration and investment arbitration. This coverage makes the book one of the reference work on the whole regime of arbitration in Egypt. Third, an up-to-date study, which takes into account rule changes and up-to-date developments on new trends, such as third-party funding, optional clauses, virtual hearings, the use of tribunal secretaries and issues of ethics in arbitration.” Source / Reviewer: Professor Walid Ben Hamida, University of Paris-Saclay, France. ICC DISPUTE RESOLUTION BULLETIN 2021 | ISSUE 3 |




The Obligations of the Carrier Regarding the Cargo


Book Description

This book addresses the legal and contractual obligations of sea carriers regarding due care for the cargo under a contract of carriage. While the general framework employed is the leading international liability regime, the Hague-Visby Rules, the discussions in each chapter also account for the possible future adoption of a new regime, the Rotterdam Rules. The subject matter concerns the standard for the duty of care for goods as codified in the Hague-Visby Rules, but the work also touches upon a wide range of related topics found both in law and in practice, providing valuable commercial, technical and historical links as well as various solutions that have been found at the national and international level to address challenges arising in this specialised area of law. The book is divided into six chapters, which gradually reveal the complexity of the topic. Chapter 1 provides a thorough introduction to the two main transport documents in use, and to the basic logic behind shipping, sea-going trade and related national and international legislation. In turn, Chapter 2 presents an overview of the relevant provisions of the Hague-Visby Rules. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 examine the problems arising out of the insertion of a FIOS(T) clause in the contract of carriage; the carriage of goods on deck; and the carriage of goods in containers, respectively. Lastly, Chapter 6 provides an overall conclusion on the legal status quo and current practice, as well as future prospects. The book was written with a number of potential readers in mind and is intended to open up the topic to a broader audience. It is suitable both for readers who wish to advance their learning (e.g. professionals, practitioners and postgraduates) and for readers with little or no prior knowledge of the topic (e.g. students and researchers).




The Role of Arbitration in Shipping Law


Book Description

"This new work... is based on papers presented at the inaugural International Shipping Law Roundtable organized by the CCLS in 2014"--Page v.




The Bill of Lading


Book Description

The carriage of goods by sea starts off with a contract of carriage, an essentially simple and straightforward contract between two parties, the shipper and the carrier. Very often, however, a bill of lading is issued and a third party appears on the scene: the holder of the bill of lading. The holder was not involved in the making of the contract of carriage, but does have rights, and possibly obligations, against the carrier at destination. The question then is how the third-party holder of the bill acquires those rights and obligations. Analysing the different theories that have been proposed to explain the position of the third party holder, this book makes a distinction between contractual theories and non-contractual theories to explain the holder's position. Contractual theories build on the initial contract of carriage and apply contract law mechanisms while non-contractual theories construe the position of the third-party holder independently. Following the analysis and appraisal of the different theories, this book makes the case that the position of the third-party holder of the bill of lading is not obvious or self-evident; and submits that a statutory approach to the position of the holder of the bill of lading has advantages and would be preferable.




The Carriage Of Goods By Sea Under The Rotterdam Rules


Book Description

This book is based on papers presented at the Sixth International Colloquium organised by the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law, Swansea University, in September 2009. The sixteen contributions have been written by a team of international experts who collectively submit the newly proposed Rotterdam Rules to asustained, penetrative and comprehensive analysis. The scale of the Rotterdam Rules is staggeringly wide, as also are their detail and complexity, and coming to a full understanding of the provisions and implications ofthe Rules represents a challenge even to those experienced in the law and practice of commercial shipping. This book examines virtually all aspects of the Rules and will provide an effective, reliable and readable guide to everyone seeking a complete grasp of the Rules.




The Rotterdam Rules


Book Description

The Rotterdam Rules represent the most comprehensive overhaul of the law of carriage of goods by sea in more than fifty years. To coincide with the signing ceremony, six members of the Institute of Maritime Law have written a detailed commentary on the Rules. The Rotterdam Rules: A Practical Annotation examines the text of the Rules, all ninety-six articles of the new Convention, and compares them to the text of the Hague-Visby Rules, the instrument currently covering most bills of lading. The authors have also examined the judgments in cases decided in the English Courts under the Carriage of Goods by Sea Acts of 1971 and 1992 and have indicated whether these cases would be decided differently under the new Rotterdam Rules.




Arbitration Clauses and Third Parties


Book Description

This is the first book to focus on the legal question of the incorporation of arbitration clauses, even though this issue constitutes a common problem that arises frequently in practice. Arbitration Clauses and Third Parties compares different branches of law, namely shipping, reinsurance, and construction, where the legal notion of incorporation is often implemented. It evaluates how the differences and peculiarities of the said branches of law impact the outcome of the incorporation of arbitration clauses and therefore why a ‘one size fits all’ approach should be avoided. The book provides both an in-depth legal analysis of the incorporation of arbitration clauses as well as the legal position of the third parties regarding arbitration agreements and a detailed evaluation of the relevant case law. It further offers a unique comparative analysis of English law and Singapore law with regards to the incorporation of arbitration clauses and features recent case law on the issue from both jurisdictions. Moreover, the book explores the status of third parties to arbitration and a wide range of legal situations in which arbitration clauses bind third parties. This book will be directly of interest to lawyers and professionals in arbitration, reinsurance, construction, and shipping, as well as to relevant academic courses.