ROTTERDAM KURALLARI’NIN MULTİMODAL TAŞIMALARA MÜTEALLİK UYGULAMA ALANI

Year 2015, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 159 - 187, 05.08.2016

Selim Ciger

Abstract

Günümüzde, kapıdan kapıya taşıma sözleşmeleri tarifeli (liner) taşıma uygulamasında giderek önem kazanmaktadır. Fakat multimodal taşımaları düzenleyen bir uluslararası hukuki rejimin eksikliği sebebiyle, bu tür sözleşmeler mevcut uluslararası düzenlemelerin uygulama alanı dışında kalmaktadır. Rotterdam Kuralları, uygulama alanını deniz yolu ile yapılan taşımaların yanı sıra bir deniz yolculuğunun öncesinde veya sonrasında kara, demir yolu, iç suyolları ve hava yolları gibi diğer taşıma modları ile gerçekleşen taşıma faaliyetlerini de içerecek şekilde genişleterek, kapıdan kapıya taşıma sözleşmelerini de kapsamayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaca ulaşmak için, Rotterdam Kuralları uygulama alanına girecek sözleşmelerde herhangi bir şekil şartı aramamakta ve son derece esnek bir taşıma sözleşmesi tanımını esas almaktadır. Bu niteliklerin bir sonucu olarak, mevcut tarifeli taşıma seferlerine ilişkin pek çok navlun sözleşmesinin Konvansiyon’un uygulama alanı içerisine gireceğini söylemek mümkün olacaktır. Bununla beraber, uygulamada taşıyanın yükü uygun gördüğü taşıma türü veya metodu ile taşıma serbestisine haiz olduğu, modu belirlenmemiş taşıma sözleşmesi olarak adlandırılabilecek taşıma sözleşmelerine de rastlanmaktadır. Konvansiyonun birinci maddesinin ilk fıkrası bu tür sözleşmelerin Rotterdam Kuralları’nın uygulama alanına girip girmediği konusunda yeterince açık değildir. Bu makalede, Konvansiyon’un hazırlık aşamasındaki tartışmalar ışığında, sadece sözleşme açık veya zımni bir biçimde deniz taşımasını öngördüğü sürece bu tür sözleşmelerin Rotterdam Kuralları madde 1.1’in kapsamı içinde değerlendirilmesi gerektiği görüşü savunulmaktadır. Her ne kadar, Rotterdam Kuralları’nın bu meseleyi açıkça düzenlemiş olması çok daha yerinde olacaksa da, kanımızca yukarıda anılan görüş madde 1.1’in lafzına ve ruhuna en uygun düşen yorumdur

Keywords

Rotterdam Kuralları, Uygulama Alanı, Kapıdan Kapıya Taşıma Sözleşmeleri

ROTTERDAM RULES’ SCOPE OF APPLICATION IN THE CONTEXT OF MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT

Abstract

Door to door transport contracts are becoming increasingly prevalent in modern liner transport. However, these contracts are largely falling outside the ambit of existing international legal instruments, in the absence of an international legal regime specifically governing multimodal transport. The Rotterdam Rules intend to change the status quo by extending their application to door to door transport, covering not only the sea voyage but also the carriage by another mode preceding or following the sea voyage under a contract of carriage. To realize this goal, the Convention omits documentary requirements and adopts a flexible definition for the contract of carriage. This ensures that the most liner contracts currently being used will fall within the ambit of the Convention, including those concluded on door to door basis. However, there are also certain contracts of carriage, referred as non-mode-specified carriage contracts, under which the carrier is entitled to choose the method or the mode of carriage. The language of article 1.1 does not elaborate whether these type of contracts would also fall within the ambit of the Convention. In light of the preparatory work, this article argues that the article 1.1 should be read as applying to non-modespecified contracts, subject to the condition that the contract provides for sea carriage either explicitly or implicitly. It is submitted here that this is the most faithful interpretation of article 1.1 to both the text and its spirit, though it would be preferable had the Rotterdam Rules elaborated the issue with a specific provision regarding such contracts

Keywords

Rotterdam Rules, Scope of Application, Door to door transport contracts

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