A comparison study of liability of the carrier in the International Conventions on the Carriage of Goods By Sea

Abstract

The introduction of the four conventions, namely the Hague Rules, Hague Visby Rules, Hamburg Rules, and Rotterdam Rules is to establish a uniform and harmonized regime governing the international carriage of goods by sea. The rules on the carrier’s liability are the central issues of these conventions which directly connect to the allocation of risks between the carrier and cargo interests. However, the solutions adopted in these Conventions are not likely to satisfy all parties in the international marine community and have faced various criticisms. This research will look at the liability of the carrier regime under these four Conventions. It will examine, by comparative analytical method, the regulation of carrier’s liability in the four Conventions and the similarities and differences between them. It concludes among other things that the Rotterdam Rules deal with the liability of carrier rules better than the older conventions.