Fifteen countries sign the Rotterdam Rules

On September 23rd, fifteen countries signed the Rotterdam Rules. In December 2008 The UN General Assembly adopted the "Convention of Contracts for the International Carrying of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea" and authorized a signing ceremony for the Convention that was held in Rotterdam, recommending the new Convention to be known as the "Rotterdam Rules".

The Convention extends and modernizes the existing international rules relating to contract of maritime carriage of goods. The aim is that the Convention will replace The Hague rules, The Hague-Visby rules and the Hamburg rules and that it will achieve uniformity of law in the field of maritime carriage. The Rotterdam Rules have been prepared in intergovernmental negotiations that lasted for over 10 years by the United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). On the other hand the Comité Maritime International (CMI) conducted the preparatory work on the Convention at the request of UNCITRAL including a preliminary draft text for the Convention.

The Convention will come into force one year after signature by the 20th UN Member state. Although there is reported to the widespread support for the Convention, the expectation is that it may be some time before the Rotterdam Rules enter into force. For more information, visit www.rotterdamrules.com

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