Beknopte samenvatting Transport law

TRANSPORT  LAW
Transport  problem:

1.   Does  it  concern  international  transport?  (necessary  for  conventions  to  apply)
Convention   applicable  when  international  transport  is  …
CMR     to  or  from  member  state  of  the  convention
CMNI   to  or  from  member  state  of  the  convention
COTIF  CIM   between  member  states  of  the  convention
Montreal     between  member  states  of  the  convention
HV   accompanied  by  (straight)  B/L
-­‐   Ratione  loci  (is  the  B/L  issued  by  a
contracting  state?)
B/L  issued  in  contracting  state
OR
carriage  from  port  in  contracting  state
OR
B/L  says  it  is  applicable  to  the  contract

2.   Is  there  a  valid  contract?
Hierarchy  in  contract  law:
i.   Mandatory  law  (e.g.  conventions)
But  might  not  cover  everything
ii.   National  law  (when  conventions  do  not  apply)
iii.   Express  terms  in  contract  (need  to  be  valid  according  to  mandatory  law)
(e.g.  Insurance  contract,  INCOTERMS)
iv.   General  conditions  /  sector  conditions
v.   Default  law

3.   Qualification  as  a  carrier  /  freight  forwarder
National  law:
o   Look  a  performance:
Was  the  contract  performed  by  the  party  himself  or  not?
Was  the  contract  performed  by  sub  carrier?
o   Look  at  obligations:  wordings  of  the  contract,  information  on  the  contract,  billing,  logo,
website  can  provide  obligations  (things  you  do  for  your  client)  and  hint  about  being  a  carrier
or  freight  forwarder.
DE:  you  are  a  carrier  if
o   You  charge  a  lumpsum
o   You  perform  the  carriage  yourself
o   You  are  a  consolidator  (not  in  BE)

Freight  forwarder   Carrier
-­‐   If  liable,  unlimited     -­‐   Limited  liable
-­‐   Fault  based  liability:     -­‐   Presumed  liability,  unless  proven  he  is
proof:   not
•   There  is  damage
•   The  reason  of  damage
•   Causal  link
-­‐   NO  Mandatory  law   -­‐   Mandatory  law
-­‐   NOT  liable  for  performing  carrier   -­‐   Liable  for  (sub)  carrier(s)
à  unlimited  liability  in  case  of  willful
misconduct





1

,
4.   Identify  contract  complexity  and  applicable  law

Complex  contract  (multimodal,  3PL)
OPTION  1:  If  Convention  mentions  multimodal  transport,  apply  convention
è   Plusmode

COTIF  CIM   ART  1§3  COTIF  CIM
PLUSMODE
COTIF  CIM  also  applies  on  national  stretches  of
transport  performed  by  road  /  IWT.

ART  1§4  COTIF  CIM
Sea  or  IWT  on  registered  lines  falls  under  COTIF  CIM
CMR     ART  2§1  CMR
PLUSMODE
RO    -­‐  RO  transport:  CMR  applicable  BUT    liability
rules  other  mode  of  transport  in  case  of  fault  by
road  carrier
Montréal     ART  18§4
PLUSMODE
Airport  plusmode:  every  damage  that  takes  place
within  the  airport  falls  under  Montréal.
+
Plus  presumption  mode:  If  damage  arrises  following
or  prior  (ancillary  transport)  the,  it  is  assumed
damage  happened  during  the  air  stage  so  Montréal
is  applicable.

ART  38  (multimodal  transport)
Montréal  is  not  applicable  to  carriage  by  other
means  of  transport  OUTSIDE  the  airport.  (exception
of  ART  18.4)
So  it  does  INSIDE  the  airport.
CMNI   NO  PLUSMODE
HV   NO  PLUSMODE,  no  mentioning  of  multimodal
transport

E.g.  if  damage  happens  during  the  air  stage  of  transport:  apply  Montréal  (because  it  says  that  it  applies
to  the  air  stage).  If  it  is  not  known  where  the  damage  happened,  it  is  assumed  that  it  did  during  the  air
stage,  so  apply  Montréal.


OPTION  2:  If  Convention  does  not  mention  not  mention  multimodal  transport,  apply  national  law
è   Multimodal  theories

SUI  GENERIS  THEORY   A  +  B  =  C   court  forms  an  own
(washing  machine  theory)     conclusion.  No  convention
DE  &  NL     applies.
ABSORPTION  THEORY   A  +  B  =  A     apply  convention  of  the
longest  stage.
NETWORK  THEORY   A  +  B  =  A  +  B     apply  convention  to
corresponding  transport
BE  &  UK  &  FR   mode.





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