Maritime Law

Maritime Law is the collective term for legal norms governing maritime transport relations, ship-related relations, and related commercial activities. Its core content includes ship property rights, contracts of carriage of goods by sea, charter parties, marine insurance, general average, limitation of liability for maritime claims, ship collisions, salvage at sea, and resolution of maritime disputes. In foreign trade practice, Maritime Law directly regulates the rights and obligations among carriers, shippers, consignees, insurers, and shipowners, and serves as the legal basis for handling bill of lading disputes, cargo loss or damage, delayed delivery, freight disputes, and maritime liens. Use scenarios include: determining the applicable law when signing maritime transport contracts, handling delivery without bill of lading, responding to general average contributions, making maritime claims, or applying for ship arrest. Precautions: Maritime laws vary significantly among countries and are often influenced by international conventions (such as the Hague Rules, Hamburg Rules, and Rotterdam Rules); foreign trade contracts should clearly specify the applicable law and dispute resolution method (such as arbitration or litigation), and attention should be paid to the possibility that the terms on the back of the bill of lading may incorporate Maritime Law. Unlike Incoterms, Maritime Law focuses on transport legal liability rather than allocation of trade risks; compared with Contract Law, Maritime Law has special restrictions on carrier liability (such as package limitation) and shorter limitation periods (usually one year).