Ship owners hail EU Rotterdam Rules statement

Ship owners hail EU Rotterdam Rules statement    Four ship owners groups applauded a statement by the European Parliament that EU member states should support the Rotterdam Rules.
   On May 5 the parliament adopted a resolution that “calls on member states speedily to sign, ratify and implement the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, known as the 'Rotterdam Rules,' establishing the new maritime liability system.'
   On Monday the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO and the World Shipping Council (WSC) issued a statement welcoming the resolution, which was contained in a European Parliament resolution on strategic goals and recommendations for the EU's maritime transport policy until 2018. Collectively the four trade organizations represent about 90 percent of the global shipping industry.
   In a statement the four groups said they have “all concluded that this important new regime must be promoted by the industry to avoid the risk of a proliferation of regional cargo liability regulations. However, early ratification of the UNCITRAL Convention by major trading nations, such as EU Member States, will almost certainly give this process critical momentum.”