Ship owners back Rotterdam Rules

Ship owners back Rotterdam Rules    Four international trade organizations that say they represent about 90 percent of the global shipping industry called on countries to sign the new United Nations Convention on the Carriage of Goods (Wholly or Partly) by Sea, known as the Rotterdam Rules.
   'The opportunity presented by the Rotterdam Rules to establish international uniformity for maritime and multimodal transport of cargo, to the benefit of international and European trade and transport, must not be missed,' said the statement from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA), BIMCO and the World Shipping Council (WSC).

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   The groups said they were 'very pleased with the significant level of support given' to the treaty. Fifteen nations signed the treaty at a ceremony in Rotterdam on Wednesday, and Don O'Hare of the World Shipping Council said France also signed later that day.
   The four trade associations said the new treaty will 'provide legal certainty and uniformity with regard to the carriage of goods by sea and connected transport.'
   Developed by the U.N.'s Commission on International Trade Law over a seven-year period and adopted by the U.N. General Assembly last December, the Rotterdam Rules are supported by the National Industrial Transportation League in the United States, but has been criticized by the European Shippers Council.
   The four groups called on countries to not only sign but also 'ratify the convention soonest so as to ensure their early entry into force,' adding 'there is no global uniform alternative for those seeking a real international solution.'