Maritime, Shipping Groups Press State Dept. to Move on Rotterdam Rules
The delay of more than three years in the U.S. ratifying the "Rotterdam Rules" maritime agreement after the U.S. signed the treaty "is undermining international support for the treaty and is causing the international maritime community to doubt the United States' intentions," said a joint letter to the State Department from the National Industrial Transportation League, World Shipping Council, UPS, FedEx, and the Maritime Law Association of the U.S. The organizations had been members of the U.S. delegation during the seven-year negotiations that led to agreement on the rules.
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The Rules were adopted in December 2008 to establish a uniform and modern global legal regime for the maritime transport industry. The legal framework provided by the rules accounts for the technological and commercial developments that have taken place in maritime transport since the adoption of earlier conventions, including the growth of containerization, the need for door-to-door transport under a single contract of carriage, and the development of electronic commerce. (See ITT's Online Archives 11072729).
The U.S. "took a leadership position during the negotiations and achieved most of its objectives in the final text," the letter said. "Now our negotiating partners are waiting to see if the United States will follow through on its stated intention to ratify the treaty. Many of our colleagues in other countries have told us that their governments will not ratify unless and until the United States does so."
The letter said the draft ratification package was transmitted to the Department's Office of Treaty Affairs for its review late last year by the Office of Private International Law: "We urge you to expedite this review and approval of the package by the State Department as soon as possible so that it may be sent to the White House for transmittal to the Senate for its advice and consent."
Contact ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the letter.