University Of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal

Książka jest jedynym na rynku polskim omówieniem problematyki odpowiedzialności cywilnej za szkody olejowe ze statku. Rozwój transportu ropy naftowej drogą morską czyni tę tematykę niezwykle aktualną, o czym świadczą niedawne katastrofy tankowców Erika, Prestige czy wyciek z platformy wiertniczej Deepwater Horizon w Zatoce Meksykańskiej. Autorka omawia międzynarodowy system kompensacji szkód olejowych, który tworzą ratyfikowane przez Polskę konwencje międzynarodowe. Porównuje go z autonomicznymi rozwiązaniami przyjętymi w prawie amerykańskim, które były przedmiotem Jej badań podczas stypendium naukowego Polsko-Amerykańskiej Komisji Fulbrighta w Tulane Law School. Zarówno międzynarodowy, jak i amerykański system kompensacji szkód olejowych został przedstawiony na podstawie analizy licznego i aktualnego orzecznictwa oraz literatury. Autorka poddaje również szczegółowej analizie rozwiązania prawa polskiego, uwzględniając nowelizację kodeksu morskiego.

Third-Party Certifiers Jan De Bruyne Third-party certifiers are organisations that are independent a requesting entity. They attest that a product, service, information or person possesses certain qualifications or meets safety, quality or technical standards. This important book presents an in-depth analysis of the liability and obligations of certifiers, evaluates existing certification processes in selected fields and proposes new mechanisms which could increase the accuracy and reliability of certifiers’ ratings, marks or reports. Highlighting the risks of errors in this activity – inaccurate certification was a major factor in the global financial crisis of 2008 – the author takes a comparative approach, looking at the certification process in several European countries, Australia and the United States. Such aspects of the process as the following are thoroughly described: obligations and liability of certifiers during the certification process; risk of ‘information asymmetry’ between the requesting entity and the end user; and relationship between the civil liability of certifiers and public law aspects. The analysis includes detailed research on key industries and jurisdictions and a specific proposed framework for more accurate and reliable certification. Because the efficient and effective functioning of third-party certifiers is extremely important in today’s world – especially in such areas as health, the environment, safety or economic values – this deeply researched contribution to an important area of commercial law, combining analysis of current issues with proposed reforms, will be welcomed by practitioners when confronted with legal issues with regard to the certification process. The book’s conceptual framework will also prove highly useful for policymakers charged with developing reliable certification mechanisms.

The main rationale of the conventions on international transport law is to limit the liability of the carrier. However, an aspect common to these conventions is that in cases of "wilful misconduct" the carrier is liable without any financial limitation. "Wilful misconduct" denoting a high degree of fault is an established term in English law. The Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules relating to International Carriage by Air (Warsaw Convention) of 1929 was the first international convention on transport law where the term was employed. A definition of "wilful misconduct", which can be found in later conventions regarding carriage of goods and passengers as well, was implemented in the Hague Protocol of 1955, amending the Warsaw Convention. However, the question as to exactly which degree of fault constitutes "wilful misconduct" has to date remained controversial and unanswered. This work seeks to answer this question. To this end, the historical background of the term, together with its function and role in marine insurance law, case law and international transport law, are examined from a comparative perspective.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (‘UNCLOS’) is hailed as one of the most significant multilateral legal agreements executed in the past few decades. However, its shortcomings are neither trivial nor inconsequential, especially regarding maritime boundary disputes involving hydrocarbon resources. This monograph examines the relationship between UNCLOS and maritime boundaries in five non-polar regions, encompassing almost 90% of global unresolved disputes involving offshore hydrocarbon development. The regions, which include the eastern Mediterranean, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, northeast Asia, and the South China Sea, were chosen for their oil and gas resources potential and recent military skirmishes that have the potential to lead to wider regional confrontations. The book addresses each region’s maritime boundary status in the context of specific articles within UNCLOS that have been exploited by disputing states to justify their overlapping claims. The history and future applicability of multilateral Joint Development Area agreements for each region are evaluated for their potential to provide a cooperative solution to resolve ongoing tensions. Highlighting the limitations of current ‘gun-boat’ diplomacy, the monograph makes practical suggestions for new paradigms for resolving outstanding disputes, promoting lasting peace and generating economic benefits resulting from resource development.

The United States Constitution has already been interpreted to provide a variety of family-related protections which, if applied consistently, also protect same-sex couples and their children. Only by radically reformulating and severely undermining existing protections can courts and commentators justify the claim that the Federal Constitution does not offer a wealth of family protections, including the right to marry a same-sex partner. Discussing the constitutional implications of civil unions with a special focus on how they might be treated in the interstate context, Strasser explains how the courts and commentators have reworked and significantly weakened a variety of constitutional protections in their attempts to establish that same-sex couples are not afforded constitutional protections. He further suggests that the constitutional protections for religion support rather than undermine the constitutional protection of same-sex unions.

Jurisdiction and arbitration clauses are two different mechanisms that help to ensure impartiality and predictability in international dispute resolution. Despite their benefits, these clauses can be inconvenient for parties that are forced to litigate before distant fora. Moreover, particular problems arise in the context of maritime transport documents. Based on a broad comparative approach, this study seeks to explain the existing rules within their legal context and to develop a coherent system for such clauses, which takes into account the underlying interests as well as economic theory. While offering detailed answers to most issues surrounding jurisdiction and arbitration clauses in maritime transport documents, the book confronts the fundamental question of the limits of freedom of contract in an international setting.

This study considers the problems of defining and valuing "environmental damage" from the perspective of international and comparative law. The need for a broad and systematic evaluation of this issue is illustrated by the number of topics presently on the international law-making agenda to which it is relevant, including the UN Compensation Commission's decisions on compensation for environmental losses suffered by Kuwait in the Gulf War, nuclear and oil pollution liability regimes, the development of an environmental liability protocol to the Antarctic Treaty and other agreements on bio-safety and genetically modified organisms. It is thus an important element in contemporary efforts to strengthen legal remedies for environmental harm which does not necessarily come within traditional categories of legally protected personal or property rights.

By examining the problem of places of refuge for ships in distress and proposed solutions under international, national and regional law, Places of Refuge for Ships in Distress by Anthony Morrison highlights the need for further solutions and presents alternative solutions.