1^st Semester

This module examines the relationships that arise in situations where goods are carried by sea from one country to another.  In particular, it examines voyage charterparties (contract whereby ships are hired by the charterer to perform specific sea voyages), bills of lading (documents of title, the transfer of which gives the transferee the rights over the goods that the document represents and against the carrier of those goods) and sea waybills (documents that evidence the receipt of the goods by the carrier and the terms if the contract of carriage).  The module also looks at electronic alternatives to bills of lading and sea waybills.

International Trade Law

This module aims to provide students with an advanced understanding of the various legal issues affecting international carriage of goods by sea.  By satisfying the module learning outcomes, students will have demonstrated a thorough understanding of all aspects of international carriage of goods by sea.

Knowledge and Understanding

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

·             Discuss and analyse the various international conventions applicable to transport documents involving carriage by sea

·             Demonstrate a good understanding of the difficult legal issues that arise in transport contracts including that of combined transport and how these are resolved using international conventions

·             Discuss the legal characteristics of transport contracts like charterparties, bills of lading and waybills

·             Analyse critically the specific issues surrounding electronic bills of lading and sea waybills and evaluate how international organisations have addressed these issues through provisions in model laws and voluntary rules and in the new transport convention – the Rotterdam Rules.

Skills

At the end of the module, students should have furthered their command of the following skills so that they have the ability to:

·             Carry out research on a legal topic and use a variety of electronic and paper sources

·             Evaluate the methodological and ideological credence of those sources

·             Critically evaluate law and policy

·             Appraise the impact of new law

·             Construct a principled argument and to critically evaluate the arguments of other

·             Develop independence in thought and argument and the confidence to question their own views

·             Design proposals for new policy and law and to assess the practical impact of such proposals

·             Types of Transport Charters

·             Voyage Charterparties

·             Bills of Lading (including electronic bills of lading)

·             The Hague and the Hague Visby Rules

·             The Hamburg Rules

·             The Rotterdam Rules

8 x 3-hour seminars.  The seminars will be interactive and students will be expected to come prepared for the seminar and engage actively in discussions

Essential reading

Wilson, J. F. Carriage of Goods by Sea (6^th Edition, Pearson Longman, 2008)

Carr, I. International Trade Law (4^th Edition, Routledge Cavendish, 2009)

Background reading

Boyd, S. C. Scrutton on Charterparties and Bills of Lading (20^th (revised) Edition, Sweet & Maxwell, 1996)

Debattista, C. Bills of Lading in Export Trade (Tottel Publishing, 2008)

Gaskell, N. Bills of Lading: Law and Contracts (Maritime and Transport Law Library, LLP, 2000)

Tetley, W. Marine Cargo Claims (4^th Edition, Éditions Yvon Blais, Thompson Reuters, 2008)

Treitel, G. & Reynolds, F. M. B. Carver on Bills of Lading (2^nd Edition, Thompson Sweet & Maxwell, 2005)

Journals

Journal of Business Law

Journal of International Maritime Law

Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly

Tulane Maritime Law Journal

Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce