ROTERDAM RULES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

ROTERDAM RULES - Essay Example With different countries following their own choicest laws to protect and further their own commercial interests, global sea trade has been thrown into a quagmire of anarchy and gross malpractices which need to be thoroughly cleansed before accountability and responsibility fixtures are made. While the shipper and the ship owners had added responsibilities under the new Rules, it is also envisaged to introduce modern communication and technological innovations including e-commerce documentation, have sound laws for container movements and also bring in new laws and conventions that could fill the gaps left in the previous Shipping rules, especially with regard to Deck Cargo and balancing of risks and responsibility among the various players in the sea trade. It is widely believed that with more and more countries signing up for the Rotterdam Rules, it would fulfil its role as a precursor of robust and rule based transportation of Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea. â€Å"The Rotterdam Rules are the direct and natural result of the deregulation and reforms that have been a boon to shippers, allowing for the flexibility and customized transportation central to any efficient supply chain.† (Rotterdam Rules, 2009). The reason for the replacement was that the old versions did not included criteria for the carriage of goods in containers and transferring electronic data. This was the main reason that made the court of law to reinvent the old versions of law. The Rotterdam rules clearly states the responsibility and accountability in certain situations where the container are stolen or if any damages happen to the ship. The other parties who are involved in the chain are also liable for the loss that happens while the goods are carried through sea. All these conditions were not included in the Hague rules and the Hague-Visby rules and the Hamburg rules. â€Å"The Ordinance of Rotterdam of 1721 declared that the owners should not