The Rotterdam Rules - A new attempt for the international legal codification of the liability for the carriage of goods by sea and other modes of transport connected therewith

Abstract

U članku autor daje prikaz rješenja usvojenih u Konvenciji Ujedinjenih naroda o međunarodnom prijevozu stvari u cijelosti ili djelomično morem, usvojenoj Rezolucijom UN od 11. prosinca 2008. godine, a otvorenoj za potpisivanje u Roterdamu 23. rujna 2009. godine, pod preporučenim nazivom “Roterdamska pravila”. Nakon uvodne analize stanja prava do donošenja ove nove Konvencije, konstatira se da se u materiji međunarodnog reguliranja pomorskih prijevoza po prvi puta, nakon što su Haška, Haško-Vizbijska i Hamburška pravila uređivala pitanje vozareve odgovornosti za robu koju je primio na prijevoz, regulira pomorskoprijevozni ugovor u cijelosti i uz dodatno reguliranje dijelova prijevoznog puta koji prethode ili slijede pomorski prijevoz. Autor daje prikaz sadržaja Roterdamskih pravila u cijelosti. Pritom se posebna pažnja posvećuje brojnim novim subjektima, institutima, dokumentima, te rješenjima koja se u Konvenciji zauzimaju, uvijek uz nastojanje da izlaganja budu potkrijepljena, ili pak kritički sagledana, u svjetlu do sada usvojenih rješenja pravne teorije, te poslovne i sudske prakse. Autor u zaključku iznosi i sučeljava oprečne stavove koji se u literaturi iznose, zauzima svoj stav prema njima i rješenjima sadržanima u Konvenciji, te razmatra moguća rješenja de lege ferenda za donošenje jednog prihvatljivog i racionalnog pravnog sistema odgovornosti za robu u prijevozu (pomorskom i multimodalnom) na međunarodnom planu.In this article the author reviews the solutions of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, adopted on December 11, 2008 and open for signature in Rotterdam on September 23, 2009, known as the Rotterdam Rules. Following the introductory analysis of the position of the law prior to the adoption of the new Convention, the author ascertains that in the matter of the international regulations of sea carriage, subsequent to the Hague, Hague/Visby and Hamburg regimes, which regulated the questions of the carrier’s liability for the goods received for carriage, the new Convention regulates for the first time the contract for sea carriage wholly, including additional regulation regarding the parts of the voyage preceding or following sea carriage. The author reviews the content of the Rotterdam Rules on the whole. In this context, special attention is given to numerous new legal subjects, legal institutions, documents, and solutions supported by the Convention, always having in mind that the presentation should be duly supported and criticaly perceived in the light of the present position of the legal theory, business practice and existing court decisions. In the conclusion of this article, the author presents and confronts opposite opinions stated in the literature; takes his own position towards such opinions and the solutions contained in the Convention; and considers possible solutions for passing an acceptable and rational liability regime for the goods received for carriage at the international level in future