I am a lawyer with UNCITRAL, and worked on the negotiation of the Rotterdam Rules. I have listened to your podcast on the Rotterdam Rules, and found it quite fair and useful, and possibly something we might link to the UNCITRAL website, with your permission. However, there were three things that might improve the accuracy of your podcast: the pronunciation of UNCITRAL (un-si-tral, rather than reading out the acronym); and the inclusion of two very important limitations on volume contracts, found at article 80(2)(c) and (d): the shipper always has an opportunity and notice of that opportunity to conclude a contract of carriage under the full terms of the RR and without any derogation, and the derogation cannot be incorporated by reference from another document nor included in a contract of adhesion. You did mention subparas. (a) and (b), but (c) and (d) are also considered to be very important built-in protections for the shipper, particularly given the difficulty that was experienced in drafting a more precise definition of the volume contract. I would be happy to hear your comments or answer any questions, as well as receive your view as to whether you might consider those additions what is otherwise a very useful podcast. Best regards, Kate Lannan

Thank you for your feedback and please do feel free to link to the podcast from your website… Your comments are really helpful and will be really useful for other listeners: perhaps we could do a follow up episode as an interview with you? If this would be possible, then please let me know – you can reach me via the contact form on http://www.shippingpodcasts.com

While the negotiations inside the Working Group III of UNCITRAL were still underway, AUTF/French Shippers Council already had the opportunity to make his national administration aware of shippers’ worries with the intermediate version of the draft of The “United Nations Convention on contracts for the international carriage of goods wholly or partly by sea. ”
The text is now final and called “Rules ROTTERDAM”, and it will be proposed for signature at a ceremony scheduled for September in the Dutch city, then it will be open to ratification by the states.
AUTF / French shippers Council that has followed the drafting of this text as an NGO since 2006 as representative of the European Shippers Council has wished to express the views of shippers on what might one day become the instrument to regulate their legal relationships with the maritime carriers . For More see:
http://www.autf.fr/web/lister-page-detail_artic…

Would like to know whether this will have any effect on the INCOTERMS

I have listened to your podcast on the Rotterdam Rules, and it is really useful. and i have some thing related i would like to present.
it is a software program i have invented to calculate the limits of the carrier liability in accordance with the Rotterdam rules an Hamburg rules, which produce a detailed report illuminate the limits with a comparing chart between the both of the conventions.
i had the honor to meet Mrs. Kate Lannan in the third Arab conference, and present the project to her. but unfortunately i do not have her contact.
any way if any one interesting please E-mail me on Ahmed_badawy@rocketmail.com
thanks

Thank you, that was immensly helpful for us to get at least a broad idea what all this is about. Thanks to your Sponsors and you.

Interesting way of posting articles

i really appreciate your wonderful work, from China, that updates me about the lastest available information, i wonder if script could be offered.

Waiting for your content:)