RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
17February 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0342)
Original: English Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
AND THEIR MEMBER STATES
Response toQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
Thefollowing communication iscirculated attherequest oftheEuropean Communities and
theirMember States tomembers oftheNegotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services.
_______________
I. Market Structure
Vessels
1. Asregards vessels under thenational flagoftheMember States, national statistics donot
distinguish between nationally-owned andforeign-owned vessels. Where possible, dataareprovided
forvessels of1,000 grt/gt andabove, asrequested; however, several Member States could onlyprovide
datafor100grt/gt (or300grt/gt) andabove.
Asregards nationally-owned vessels under foreign flags, national statistics areavailable only
insome Member States. Forother Member States, existing independent publications provide relevant
information byaggregate categories ofvessels. Inthetables below, information published bytheInstitute
ofShippingEconomicsandLogistics(ISL:"ShippingStatisticsandMarketReview",No.4,April1994)
hasbeenused, complemented asnecessary withunpublished datafurnished bytheInstitute. However,
thisinformation cannot beofficially confirmed andispresented onlyasindicative, inparticular since
comparisons withnationally provided data-where these exist-reveal discrepancies, possibly dueto
different specification ofthedata.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page2
MEMBER STATE: AUSTRIA ,End1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag Foreign Flag1
Type ofVessels2Number
of
VesselsGT Type ofVessels Number
of
VesselsDWT
OilTanker Total Tankers 9 273.739
Liquified GasCarriers
Chemical Tankers
DryBulkCarriers Total DryBulk 3 62.463
Combination Carriers
General Cargo 22 121.500 General Cargo 2 6.988
Container Ships 6 61.000 Container Ships
Refrigerated Carriers 2 17.500
Ro-Ro
Ferries andPassenger Ferries andPassenger
Other
AllMerchant Vessels 30 200.000 AllMerchant Vessels 14 343.190
1Source: ISL. Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing andnon-commercial vessels.
2Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing andnon-commercial vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page3
MEMBER STATE: BELGIUM ,01.07.1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag1Foreign Flag2
Type ofVessels Number
of
Vessels1000
DWTType ofVessels Number
of
Vessels1000
DWT
OilTanker 6 13Total Tankers 43 1.518
Liquified GasCarriers 1 1
Chemical Tankers 2 5
DryBulkCarriers - Total DryBulk 25 2.199
Combination Carriers -
General Cargo 4 17General Cargo
Container Ships Container Ships 10 288
Refrigerated Carriers
Ro-Ro
Ferries andPassenger 12 13Ferries andPassenger
Other Other 34 251
AllMerchant Vessels 25 49AllMerchant Vessels 112 4.256
1Source: ISLOctober 1994. Vessels of300grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-
commercial vessels.
2Source: ISL, April 1994. Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove excluding fishing vessels andnon-
commercial vessels (including register ofLuxembourg), for1January 1994.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page4
MEMBER STATE: DENMARK ,01.01.1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag1Foreign Flag2
Type ofVessels Number of
Vessels1000 GT Type ofVessels Number of
Vessels1000 DWT
OilTanker 38 1.269 Total Tankers 78 2.657
Liquified GasCarriers 40 270
Chemical Tankers 30 73
DryBulkCarriers 14 492 Total DryBulk 24 1.538
Combination Carriers - -
General Cargo 265 316 General Cargo 80 568
Container Ships 53 1.752 Container Ships 9 268
Refrigerated Carriers 20 149
Specialized Cargo 65 70
Ro-Ro 23 245
Ferries andPassenger 66 234 Ferries &Pass. 2 3
Other - -
AllMerchant
Vessels614 4.870 AllMerchant
Vessels193 5.035
1Vessels of100grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-commercial vessels.
2Source: ISL"Shipping Statistics andMarket Review", No.4 April 1994 /Vessels of1.000 grt/gt
andabove.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page5
MEMBER STATE: FINLAND ,01.01.1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
Type ofVessels1National Flag Foreign Flag2
Number ofVessels DWT Number ofVessels DWT
OilTankers 14 554.568 28 2.376.910
Liquified GasCarriers 2 11.330 - -
Chemical Tankers 6 125.675 - -
DryBulkCarriers 7 114.302 4 148.597
Combination Carriers - - - -
General Cargo 19 107.669 3 46.362
Container Ships - - - -
Refrigerated Carriers - - 11 81.680
Ro-Ro 30 201.380 9 43.042
Ferries &Passenger319 45.483 15 45.009
Other 9 71.019 3 28.390
AllMerchant Vessels 106 1.231.426 73 2.769.550
1Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove excluding fishing andnon-commercial vessels.
2Thefigures forvessels under foreign flagareestimates
3Theferries andpassenger vessels under national flagamounted tothetotal of453.950 grt.
Theferries andpassenger vessels under foreign flagamounted tothetotal of242.443 grt.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page6
MEMBER STATE: FRANCE ,01.01.1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag1Foreign Flag2
Type ofVessels Number
of
Vessels1000 GT Type ofVessels Number
of
Vessels1000 DWT
OilTanker 52 2.033 Total Tankers 33 2.360
Liquified GasCarriers 8 156
Chemical Tankers 3 12
DryBulkCarriers 13 457 Total DryBulk 9 689
Combination Carriers
General Cargo General Cargo 36 500
Container Ships 31 844 Container Ships 8 222
Refrigerated Carriers 4 10
Specialized Cargo 3 9
Ro-Ro 11 18
Ferries andPassenger 31 330 Ferries andPassenger 10 24
Other 59 70
AllMerchant Vessels 215 3.939 AllMerchant Vessels 96 3.795
1Vessels of100grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing andother non-commercial vessels.
2Source: ISL"Shipping Statistics andMarket Review", No.4,April 1994, vessels of1.000 grt/gt
andabove.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page7
MEMBER STATE: GERMANY ,October 1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
Type ofVessels1National Flag Foreign Flag
Number ofVessels 1000 DWT Number ofVessels 1000 DWT
OilTanker 7 156 7 39
Liquified GasCarriers 18 177 9 51
Chemical 24 173 26 192
DryBulkCarriers 2 151 - -
Combination Carriers - - - -
General Cargo 269 1.152 210 981
Container Ships 188 3.599 85 930
Refrigerated Carriers 12 106 4 35
Specialized Cargo - - - -
Ro-Ro 20 115 11 105
Ferries &Passenger 38 79 - -
Other 33 847 18 440
AllMerchant Vessels 611 6.554 370 2.580
1Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing andother non-commercial vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page8
MEMBER STATE: GREECE ,Endof1993
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag1Foreign Flag2
Type ofVessels Number
of
Vessels1000 GT Type ofVessels Number
of
Vessels1000
DWT
OilTanker 338 13.273 Total Tankers 317 21.856
Liquified GasCarriers 12 61
Chemical Tankers 53 611
DryBulkCarriers 425 10.390 Total DryBulk 760 31.463
Combination Carriers 31 1.946
General Cargo 341 1.135 General Cargo 595 6.537
Container Ships 31 540 Container Ships 14 179
Refrigerated Carriers 12 81
Specialized Cargo - -
Ro-Ro 21 86
Ferries andPassenger 342 762 Ferries andPassenger 64 175
Other 38 150
AllMerchant Vessels 1.644 29.035 AllMerchant Vessels 1.750 60.211
1Vessels of100gtandabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-commercial vessels, inaccordance
with"World Fleet Statistics" (Lloyds 'Register -December 31,1993).
2Source: ISL"Shipping Statistics andMarket Review", No.4,April 1994. Vessels of1.000 grt/gt
andabove.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page9
MEMBER STATE: IRELAND ,31.12.1993
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag1Foreign Flag2
Type ofVessels Number
of
VesselsGT Type ofVessels Number
of
VesselsDWT
OilTanker 7 Total Tankers - -
Liquified GasCarriers
Chemical Tankers
DryBulkCarriers Total DryBulk - -
Combination Carriers
General Cargo 56 General Cargo 14 38.254
Container Ships 2 Container Ships
Refrigerated Carriers
Ro-Ro
Ferries andPassenger 13 Ferries andPassenger 1 1.325
Other 4
AllMerchant Vessels 82 190.000 AllMerchant Vessels 15 39.579
1Vessels of100grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-commercial vessels.
2Source: ISL. Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing andnon-commercial vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page10
MEMBER STATE: ITALY ,31.12.1993
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
Type ofVessels1National Flag Foreign Flag2
Number ofVessels GT Number ofVessels GT
OilTanker 234 1.912.072 14 454.980
Liquified GasCarriers 51 236.276 3 25.030
Chemical 48 190.582 6 36.270
DryBulkCarriers 57 1.771.799 7 219.855
Combination Carriers 3 166.648 1 32.605
General Cargo 83 108.610 1 2.431
Container Ships 19 405.147
Refrigerated Carriers 4 52.051 6 70.540
Specialized Cargo
Ro-Ro 64 470.146 3 13.670
Ferries &Passenger 733 1.195.539 10 172.798
Other 688 944.670 1 498
AllMerchant Vessels 1.984 7.480.540 52 1.028.496
1Vessels of100grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-commercial vessels.
2Bare-boat charterS/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page11
MEMBER STATE: LUXEMBOURG ,01.07.1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
Type ofVessels National Flag1Foreign Flag2
Number ofVessels 1000 DWT Number ofVessels DWT
OilTanker 12 396
Liquified GasCarriers 8 328
Chemical Tankers
DryBulkCarriers 11 855
Combination Carriers 1 147
General Cargo 4 32
Container Ships 2 77
Refrigerated Carriers
Ro-Ro 2 14
Ferries &Passenger
Other 2 13
AllMerchant Vessels 42 1.862
1Source: ISLOctober 1994. Vessels of300grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-
commercial vessels.
2Noinformation isavailable ontheextent ofLuxembourg-owned foreign-flagged vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page12
MEMBER STATE: NETHERLANDS ,End1993
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
Type ofVessels1National Flag Foreign Flag
Number ofVessels 1000 GT Number ofVessels 1000 GT
OilTanker 2 76 24 653
Liquified GasCarriers 11 22 8 26
Chemical Tankers 37 555 38 606
DryBulkCarriers - - - -
Combination Carriers - - - -
General Cargo 250 731 191 1.023
Container Ships 30 896 14 150
Refrigerated Carriers 16 80 63 302
Specialized cargo 6 56 44 315
Ro-Ro 10 108 14 60
Ferries &Passenger 6 136 2 58
Other 2 3
AllMerchant Vessels 368 2.655 400 3.196
1Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing andnon-commercial vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page13
MEMBER STATE: PORTUGAL ,October 1994
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag1Foreign Flag2
Type ofVessels Number
of
VesselsGT Type ofVessels Number
of
VesselsDWT
OilTanker 15 393.479 Total Tankers 3 140.191
Liquified GasCarriers 2 3.333
Chemical Tankers 1 2.093
DryBulkCarriers 10 74.520 Total DryBulk 3 226.008
Combination Carriers
General Cargo 27 23.768 General Cargo 6 21.469
Container Ships 11 22.652 Container Ships
Refrigerated Carriers 1 842
Ro-Ro 1 377
Ferries andPassenger 3 1.114 Ferries andPassenger 3 9.653
Other 2 3.353
AllMerchant Vessels 73 525.710 AllMerchant Vessels 15 397.321
1Source: "Shipowners andships", Ministry fortheSea,Directorate-General forPorts andMaritime
Transport, Lisbon, October 1994. Vessels of100gtandabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-
commercial vessels. Includes Madeira (Madeira isnotaseparate register andiscontrolled from
Lisbon. Madeira isanarchipelago andpartofPortugal).
2Source: ISL. Vessels of1.000 grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing andnon-commercial vessels,
01.01.1994.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page14
MEMBER STATE: SPAIN ,Endof1993
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET1
National Flag Foreign Flag
Type ofVessels Number
of
VesselsDWT Type ofVessels Number
of
VesselsDWT
OilTanker 26 802.757 Total Tankers
Liquified GasCarriers 6 21.377
Chemical Tankers 14 109.262
DryBulkCarriers 6 82.529 Total DryBulk
Combination Carriers 11 49.195
General Cargo 31 81.789 General Cargo
Container Ships 31 165.986 Container Ships
Refrigerated Carriers 15 33.121
Specialized Cargo 6 24.241
Ro-Ro 44 155.987
Ferries andPassenger 46 42.840 Ferries andPassenger
Other
AllMerchant Vessels 250 1.583.922 AllMerchant Vessels 91 1.493.000
1Excluding fishing vessels andnon-commercial vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page15
MEMBER STATE: SWEDEN ,31.12.1993
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
National Flag Foreign Flag
Type ofVessels1Number
of
VesselsMioDWT Number
of
VesselsMioDWT
OilTanker 64 1 65 9
Liquified GasCarriers
Chemical Tankers
DryBulkCarriers
Combination Carriers 0 0 10 2
General Cargo
123 1.2 155 3
Container Ships
Refrigerated Carriers
Specialized Cargo
Ro-Ro
Ferries andPassenger 49 0.5* 40 0.6*
Other
AllMerchant Vessels 236 2.2** 270 14**
*gross tonnage
**without theferries andpassenger vessels
1Vessels of300grt/gt andabove, excluding fishing vessels andnon-commercial vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page16
MEMBER STATE: UNITED KINGDOM ,end1993
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
Type ofVessels1National Flag Foreign Flag
Number ofVessels 1000 DWT Number ofVessels21000 DWT
OilTanker 49 1.727 45 5.948
Liquified GasCarriers 2 96 23 390
Chemical 3 19 1 4
DryBulkCarriers 12 163 39 2.204
Combination Carriers 0 0 0 0
General Cargo 32 86 50 474
Container Ships 20 853 24 510
Refrigerated Carriers 0 0 12 97
Specialized cargo 7 66 7 38
Ro-Ro354 159 26 106
Ferries &Passenger48 47 4 18
Other - - - -
AllMerchant Vessels 187 3.216 231 9.789
1Vessels of1.000 grt/gt, excluding fishing vessels andother non-commercial vessels.
2Including Crown Dependencies (i.e., IsleofMan andChannel Islands) &Dependent Territories (i.e.,
Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar &Hong Kong).
3Including Ro-Ro/Passenger vessels.
4Excluding Ro-Ro/Passenger vessels.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page17
Trade
Answer toQuestions 2and3:
International trade oftheMember States andthepartcarried byseaareshown for1992 in
thefollowing Tables, forimports, exports andtotal, without distinguishing between Intra-Community
andExtra-Community trade.
Year: 1992 Imports andExports bySea
Country Imports Exports Total
milltonnes billECU milltonnes billECU milltonnes billECU
Austria - - - - - -
BLEU165.2 16.0 28.9 13.9 94.1 29.9
Denmark 38.6 15.0 20.5 15.1 59.1 30.1
Finland 30.3 22.6 52.9
France 172.8 43.6 55.4 39.3 228.2 82.9
Germany 102.6 49.8 38.2 56.2 140.8 106.0
Greece 26.1 9.5 18.5 4.5 44.6 14.0
Ireland 17.3 7.2 24.5
Italy 177.9 33.7 34.4 24.7 212.3 58.4
Netherl. 174.0 36.4 40.4 18.3 214.4 54.7
Portugal 30.9 7.9 8.6 4.0 39.5 11.9
Spain 121.3 20.5 40.3 17.6 161.6 38.1
Sweden 41.9 30.3 72.2
UK 174.2 129.2 133.2 108.7 307.4 237.9
Sources: EUROSTAT "External Trade byMode ofTransport, 1992".
ForIreland: IrishCentral Statistical Office.
ForFinland andSweden: UNTransport Statistics: International goods transport bymode oftransport (unloaded andloaded,
notincluding ferry traffic).
1BLEU =Belgium andLuxembourg.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page18
CountryInternational Trade: import from World
allmodes
1000 tonnes
1992sea
1000 tonnes
1992%
importance ofthetransport
mode
Belgium+Luxembourg 194264 65170 34%
Denmark 44356 38608 87%
France 291193 172828 59%
Germany 455736 102585 23%
Greece 28830 26107 91%
Ireland121841 17318 79%
Italy 272129 177940 65%
Netherlands 285111 174001 61%
Portugal 36388 30915 85%
Spain 146248 121251 83%
United Kingdom 191631 174159 91%
EUR 12 1967727 1100882 56%
Austria245692 - -
Finland339213 30254 77%
Sweden353116 41937 79%
CountryInternational Trade: export toworld
allmodes
1000 tonnes
1992sea
1000 tonnes
1992%
importance ofthetransport
mode
Belgium+Luxembourg 121507 28933 24%
Denmark 28646 20515 72%
France 166727 55444 33%
Germany 215233 38210 18%
Greece 21152 18505 87%
Ireland110354 7237 70%
Italy 79980 34395 43%
Netherlands 179465 40391 23%
Portugal 13634 8605 63%
Spain 59197 40278 68%
United Kingdom 137497 133243 97%
EUR 12 1033392 425756 41%
Austria222638 - -
Finland324774 22617 91%
Sweden357115 30299 53%
1 IrishCentral Statistical Office.
2 Wirtschaftskammer Österreich
3 UNTransport Statistics: International goods transport bymodes oftransport (unloaded andloaded, notincluding ferry traffic).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page19
CountryInternational Trade: import +export from/to world
allmodes
1000 tonnes
1992sea
1000 tonnes
1992%
importance ofthetransport
mode
Belgium+Luxembourg 315771 94103 30%
Denmark 73002 59123 81%
France 457920 228272 50%
Germany 670969 140795 21%
Greece 49982 44612 89%
Ireland132195 24555 76%
Italy 352109 212335 60%
Netherlands 464576 214392 46%
Portugal 50022 39520 79%
Spain 205445 161529 79%
United Kingdom 329128 307402 93%
EUR 12 2307330 1323890 57%
Austria268330 - -
Finland363987 52871 83%
Sweden3110231 72236 66%
1 IrishCentral Statistical Office.
2 Wirtschaftskammer Österreich
3 UNTransport Statistics: International goods transport bymodes oftransport (unloaded andloaded, notincluding ferry traffic).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page20
4. Theattached Table contains datafromtheEUROSTAT publication of"TRANSPORT Annual
Statistics 1970-1990" andfrom submissions byanumber ofMember States.
International goods traffic byflag('000t)
Year: 1990, except where indicated otherwise
Member State Total Own flag %
Belgium Unloading 90643 8437 9.3
Loading 50817 2711 5.3
Total 141460 11148 7.9
Denmark Unloading 29462 4773 16.2
Loading 14681 1517 10.3
Total 44143 6290 14.2
Finland (1993) Unloading 32560 15911 48.9
Loading 31876 9345 29.3
Total 64436 25256 39.2
France (1992) Unloading 171738 12057 7.0
Loading 55831 10164 18.2
Total 227569 22221 9.8
Germany Unloading 97499 11345 11.6
Loading 44304 8243 18.6
Total 141803 19588 13.8
Greece (1992) Unloading 37789 14423 38.2
Loading 20401 5637 27.8
Total 58190 20060 34.5
Ireland Unloading 17940
Loading 6970
Total 24910 est.20.-S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page21
Member State Total Own flag %
Italy(1992) Imports 177966 37729 21.2
Exports 34424 6127 17.8
Total 212390 43856 20.6
Netherlands Unloading 281251 6523 2.3
Loading 91839 7038 7.7
Total 373090 13561 3.6
Portugal Unloading 28540 4011 14.1
Loading 8503 472 5.6
Total 37043 4483 12.1
Spain (1991) Unloading 122100 30500 25.0
Loading 38800 6000 15.5
Total 160900 36500 22.7
Sweden Unloading 54880
Loading 44810
Total 99090 24742 24.8
United Kingdom Unloading 174192 32008 18.4
Loading 126280 24814 19.6
Total 300472 56822 18.9
Source: EUROSTAT forBelgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, UK(1990)
Submissions byFinland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, SwedenS/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page22
5. Estimatesoftherelativeimportanceofcross-tradingareprovidedbelowforanumberofMember
States; fortheirmost part,these estimates come from independent unofficial sources.
Generally, however, thedataonown-flag participation given inanswer toQuestion 4,combined
withtherespective sizeofeachcountry 'snational-flag fleet,indicate theparticular significance ofcross-
trading.
Member State
Denmark More than90%ofshipping activity.
Finland 5%infreight earnings
(1991) Unofficial sources indicate roughly 3.5% oftotal
France (1992) Home-trading: 15.7mt
Cross-trading: 26.8mt (63% oftotal)
(Source: CCAF)
Germany (1987) Home-trading: 22.6mt
Cross-trading: 16.5mt (42% oftotal)
(Source: Unofficial study)
Greece More than90%of thenational fleetisengaged incross-trading activities.
Italy (1991) Home-trading: 53.7mt
Cross-trading: 139.7 mt (72% oftotal)
(Source: Unofficial study)
Spain Home-trading: 36.5mt
Cross-trading: 16.4mt (31% oftotal)
(Source: Unofficial study)S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page23
Organization ofCargo
6. International trade statistics distinguishing between liner, drybulkandliquid bulkshipping
arenotavailable formost Member States.
Statistics onthebasis offirstdigitcommodity classification canhowever beprovided and
therefore arepresented inthefollowing tables separately for(i)petroleum products and(ii)solidmineral
fuelandores, forimports andexports byseain1992.
Certain statistics available distinguishing liner/liquid bulk/dry bulkarealsoprovided.
Imports bysea,1992
Petroleum products Solid mineral fuel+Ores Allproducts
1000 t MioECU 1000 t MioECU 1000 t MioECU
Belgium/Lux 17023 1884 26179 1242 65171 16001
Denmark 9104 1105 12411 432 38609 14965
Finland 11292 1200 8474 368 30254 10080
France 107313 12240 35422 1359 172828 43604
Germany 42870 5115 18178 1134 102585 49870
Greece 16135 1677 1838 76 26107 9485
Italy 108930 11007 30599 1202 177941 33678
Netherlands 75820 8145 54943 1721 174002 36408
Portugal 16033 1664 5103 179 31081 7915
Spain 65140 6066 28278 1358 123302 20491
Sweden 25107 2670 4373 190 41937 13980
United Kingdom 57537 6153 39083 2248 174159 129158
TOTAL 515905 55056 252034 10251 10085785 361575
Exports bysea,1992
Petroleum products Solid mineral fuel+Ores Allproducts
1000 t MioECU 1000 t MioECU 1000 t MioECU
Belgium/Lux 11444 1366 803 90 28934 13944
Denmark 8432 969 297 41 20516 15124
Finland 3682 440 217 26 22617 16389
France 9499 1258 573 78 55444 39344
Germany 5554 832 2130 190 38211 56248
Greece 2929 347 1207 55 18505 4494
Italy 15271 1889 136 15 34396 24748
Netherlands 13143 1481 3625 426 40391 18313
Portugal 3266 305 763 194 8696 4003
Spain 12193 1247 2305 84 39679 17574
Sweden 9282 1105 3023 360 30299 21960
United Kingdom 76742 9152 4352 751 133244 108685
TOTAL 158 18846 16191 1924 418016 302477
Sources: EUROSTAT, External Trade byMode ofTransport 1992.
ForFinland andSweden: "Transport Statistics forEurope" ofUnited Nations 1994 (notincluding ferry traffic).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page24
Belgium:
1993, inmt: Unloading Loading Total
Liquid bulk 24.0 9.4 33.4
Drybulk 43.8 9.5 53.3
Container 9.1 12.5 21.6
Other 19.8 26.6 46.4
TOTAL 96.7 58.0 154.7
Germany:
In1993, outof176,9 Miot ofgoods from German ports toforeign ports, 62,4Miot wascarried by
linershipping (35,3%).
Ireland:
Drybulkestimated at40%; Liquid bulkat30%.
Netherlands:
In1992, about 17%ofcargo (tonnage) loaded andunloaded intheNetherlands wascarried byliner
shipping.
1993, inmt:Unloading Loading Total
Liquid bulk 130.2 24.8 155.0
Drybulk 105.9 20.7 126.6
Container 26.3 33.0 59.3
Other 14.6 9.9 24.5
TOTAL 277.0 88.5 365.5
Spain:
In1992: Liner 33.4m
Drybulk 48.5m
Liquid bulk 87.9m
Total 169.8 m
United Kingdom : Year 1992:
Value (thousand mn£) Weight (mntonnes)
DryBulk 6.9 82.2
Liquid Bulk 11.8 137.1
Other DryCargo 159.3 91.8
TOTAL 178.1 311.2S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page25
7. Reliable estimates oftheshare ofliner shipping which iscarried byconferences or
consortia seems difficult toobtain.
Suchshares varyconsiderably depending onthetrade; asabroad indication, theconference
share intrades where shipping linesfrom Member States areinvolved isreported generally within
therange from40to80%, with60%representing aseemingly goodindication ofanaverage. Overall,
theshare ofconference tradeisgenerally known tohavesignificantly declined overthelasttwodecades.
8. TheCode applies toconference shipping between eachofthe11Member States which are
Parties andallother Parties, incl.theMember States. Itshould benoted, however, thattheprovisions
ofArticle 2oftheConvention concerning rights ofparticipation ofnational linesinthecarriage of
conference cargo donotapply inthetrades between theMember States andthose between them and
other OECD countries.
Asaconsequence, andinviewoftherelative weight ofthese trades aswellasofthose trades
where theConvention doesnotapply, itcanbeconsidered, inspiteofthepaucity ofdatathatwould
permit toderive anestimate, thatthepartofconference shipping affected bytheprovisions ofArticle
2isofrelatively minor significance inglobal terms.
9. There arenocargo sharing arrangements inbilateral shipping agreements ofthefollowing
Member States:
Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom.
Incertain trades oftheother Member States therearebilateral agreements withcargo sharing
provisions, which havetobeapplied inconformity withtheprovisions ofECCouncil Regulation
No.4055/86.
- Inthose among these trades where theLiner Code applies, bilateral agreements have
toconform withthisCode andwithECCouncil Regulation No.954/86. Inanumber
oftrades, however, -inparticular those withWest andCentral African countries -
thishasnotyetbeenachieved because ofdifficulties inreaching anunderstanding with
thethirdcountries concerned.
- Asregards non-Codist trades, therearetwoagreements withBrazil andfouragreements
betweenPortugalandAngola,SaoTomeyPrincipe,HungaryandPoland.Whilstfigures
arenotavailable, theoverall volumes oftherespective trades arerelatively small.
10. Relevant statistics donotseem available inseveral Member States. From those which could
provide estimates, asbelow, itcanbeseenthattheshare ofcontainerized cargo issignificant.
Thedegree ofcontainerization isalsoknown tobesignificantly higher incertain trades (e.g.
theTrans-Atlantic andtheEurope-Far Easttrades) ascompared tocertain North-South trades.
Belgium around 32%
Denmark Theoverriding majority iscontainerized.
France Themajority iscontainerized.
Greece around 40%.
Italy around 64%.
Netherlands In1992, about 87%ofthelinercargo loaded andunloaded intheNetherlands
wascontainerized.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page26
Portugal >75%
Spain around 50%
United Kingdom 80-90% inmost trades.
11. Themajority ismultimodal transport; theshares varysubstantially depending onthetradearea.
Asabroad indication, estimates provide arange from, say,onethirdtomore thantwothirds ofliner
cargo.
Ports andAuxiliary Services
12. Traffic bymajor portsofMember States isshown inthefirstseries ofstatistical tables below;
thelasttableprovides theshare ofcontainerisation formajor ports oftheMember States.
INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC BYMAJOR PORTS ('000t):1990#
NofVessels* '000GRT* Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
BELGIUM 37,057 133,783 50,817 90,643
Antwerpen 15,749 75,303 39,267 54,661
Gent 3,713 13,585 4,135 17,083
Zeebrugge 10,868 33,922 5,563 14,029
NofVessels** '000GRT*** Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
DENMARK 37,324 78,732 15,318 30,296
Copenhague 4,288 9,465 909 3,589
Arhus 3,114 6,907 1,379 2,894
Alborg 2,183 2,964 496 1,533
Odense 1,381 1,897 192 294
Esbjerg 2,481 3,442 1,077 1,685
#Except where otherwise indicated
Source: EUROSTAT, Transport: Annual Statistics 1970-1990 (Table: Traffic byPort)
* Foralltraffic
** Foralltraffic; excluding ferry-traffic
*** Foralltraffic; including ro-ro andferry linksS/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page27
NofVessels* '000GRT* Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
GERMANY 107,480 219,039 44,304 97,499
Hamburg 12,888 57,152 19,425 36,746
Bremen 9,464 42,081 9,905 17,376
Lübeck 5,861 27,427 5,014 7,110
Kiel 2,451 12,122 890 2,005
Willemshaven 798 7,268 364 15,464
Emden 2,384 2,699 654 954
NofVessels* '000GRT* Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
FRANCE 74,024 1,681,228 74,087 201,356
Bordeaux 1,609 39,509 2,968 3,972
Bastia 2,168 85,100 162 177
Sète 1,203 23,185 901 3,409
Boulogne 18,046 462,707 2,578 2,804
Dieppe 1,639 27,659 986 838
Marseille 8,895 302,156 13,546 72,778
Dunkirk 5,396 149,024 8,586 26,543
LeHavre 7,769 324,899 10,392 41,314
Rouen 3,322 31,797 12,845 8,351
NofVessels '000GRT Cargo Export Cargo Import
FINLAND128,180 303,994 27,588 31,935
Helsinki 7,062 93,031 3,182 4,435
Turku 2,457 63,742 1,348 1,415
Kotka 2,189 10,372 3,543 1,327
Naantajj 1,076 7,275 822 2,702
Rauma 1,043 4,905 2,468 1,056
*Foralltraffic
Source: EUROSTAT, Transport: Annual Statistics 1970-1990 (Table: Traffic byPort)
ForFinland: Finish Maritime Administration
1Figures for1993.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page28
NofVessels* '000GRT* Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
IRELAND 12,521 31,769 6,970 17,944
Cork 2,094 3,993 1,629 3,664
Dublin 3,551 8,986 1,829 4,407
Rosslare 1,533 9,741 452 355
DunLaogharie 1,215 296 158 103
Limerick 450 2,493 884 4,928
NofVessels* '000GRT* Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
ITALY 350,970 380,204 42,188 228,707
Genova 5,725 38,439 2,100 31,204
Trieste 2,608 17,751 1,151 29,997
Livorno 6,499 23,458 1,985 9,003
Venezia 5,042 16,377 2,269 14,099
Friuli 4,273 19,277 1,446 31,186
Cagliari 1,551 12,560 4,981 13,286
Lazio 12,244 18,919 294 8,364
Napoli 40,933 22,909 1,482 7,338
Augusta 3,521 17,024 5,199 16,337
NofVessels* '000GRT* Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
NETHERLANDS 45,389 235,792 91,839 281,251
Rotterdam 29,849 172,198 64,407 223,285
Amsterdam 4,292 18,166 9,207 21,672
*Foralltraffic
Source: EUROSTAT, Transport: Annual Statistics 1970-1990 (Table: Traffic byPort)S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page29
NofVessels* '000GRT* Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
UNITED KINGDOM 159,000 136,164 183,461
London 10,800 7,205 24,437
Felixstowe 6,600 7,091 8,965
Dover 25,800 5,319 7,455
Folkestone 2,500 262 397
Southampton 4,100 5,706 11,224
Milford Haven 4,000 5,737 9,639
Liverpool 3,100 2,987 11,576
Immingham and
Grimsby5,200 8,712 23,807
TeesandHarlepool 5,300 19,269 13,383
Clyde 1,000 612 4,809
*Foralltraffic.
Source: EUROSTAT, Transport: Annual Statistics 1970-1990 (Table: Traffic byPort)
NofVessels '000GRT Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
Greece120,400 37,789
Piraeus221,405 44,733 2,731 6,980
Thessaloniki23,076 6,811 4,738 9,098
AgiiTheodori12,557 6,228
Elefsina13,290 7,541
Megara12 5,814
Volos11,866 1,083
Chalkida11,308 1,180
Iraklio11,970 205
Patra1765 1,011
Isthmia1612 447
_______________
1Source: Greek Ministry ofMercantile Marine for1992
2Source: ISL1993S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page30
NofVessels '000GRT Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
Portugal1
Leixers 2,742 14,636 3,493 8,642
Lisbon 5,103 36,135 2,267 12,056
NofVessels '000GRT Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
Spain1113,308 481,122 *
Algeciras 14,369 73,892 10,494 14,044
Barcelona 6,378 45,777 5,368 12,662
Bilbao 3,532 22,372 7,219 17,986
Pasajes 1,487 3,064 849 2,888
Tarragona 2,207 21,470 6,815 17,430
Valencia 4,747 32,250 4,894 7,082
*Source :MOPT, Memoria deActividades Puertas 1990
NofVessels '000GRT Cargo Loaded Cargo Unloaded
Sweden2421,652 1218,8072
Gothenburg 11,064 83,397 11,802 14,089
Helsingborg 131,021 123,297 3,817 3,861
Malmo 21,911 32,536 1,782 3,218
Stockholm 17,008 108,822 1,251 3,878
1Source: ISL1993
2Source :Statistik Arsbok 1993 (Swe)S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page31
Containerized PortTraffic 1992
Country Port General Cargo
(1000 t)Container Cargo
(1000 t)Containerization in%
Belgium Antwerp
Zeebrugge45.293
19.16719.657
6.44043,4
33,6
Netherlands Amsterdam
Rotterdam3.189
65.207558
34.36417,5
52,7
Germany Bremen (2)
Hamburg19.877
30.15712.562
22.49763,2
74,6
France LeHavre
Marseille10.228
8.9896.863
3.91967,1
43,6
United Kingdom Belfast
Felixstowe
Liverpool
London
Manchester
Southampton
TeesandH.3.975
15.806
6.118
9.624
1.193
2.722
3.4611.419
12.661
2.790
4.013
997
2.254
83435,7
80,1
45,6
41,7
83,6
82,8
24,1
Spain Algeciras
Barcelona
Bilbao
Valencia9.163
7.550
4.619
6.6636.588
5.489
2.134
4.01871,9
72,7
46,2
60,3
Portugal Leixoes
Lisbon2.854
3.6221.344
2.30047,1
63,5
Italy Genoa
Livorno
Naples
Trieste
Venice6.939
7.534
5.572
2.658
3.0973.275
2.780
1.499
1.167
86147,2
36,9
26,9
43,9
27,8
Greece Piräus
Saloniki8.742
2.5984.371
89950,0
34,6
Denmark Copenhagen
Arhus
Esbjerg5.160
2.263
1.6721.450
2.040
1.40628,1
90,1
84,1
Finland Helsinki 4.966 2.061 41,5
Sweden Gothenburg 9.117 3.118 34,2
TOTAL 335.858 175.182 52,16
(Source: ISLShipping Statistics Yearbook)S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page32
13. Theeffective presence offoreign suppliers ofsuchservices isoften difficult toestablish,
particularly when theexisting liberal regulatory environment doesnotcommand anypublic monitoring
andthecollection ofspecific statistics.
Answers received from Member States areasfollows:
Belgium
There arenolegal restrictions concerning market access; concrete dataconcerning foreign
owned companies arenotavailable.
Denmark
Thesetting upoffullyforeign owned subsidiaries within theservice sector including agency
services, marketing andsales ofmaritime transport andrelated services ismade available toall
international transport suppliers onnon-discriminatory terms andconditions. There arenoDanish
regulations providing special favours tonational companies compared withforeign-owned subsidiaries.
Wearenotfamiliar withtheextent towhich foreign suppliers areusing thisfreeaccess tothemarket,
andiftheyareactually present inDenmark supplying theservices mentioned inthequestionnaire.
Finland
Container station anddepot services: No
Maritime Agency Services: Yes
Maritime Freight Forwarding Services: Yes
Maritime Cargo Handling Services: Yes
Storage andWarehousing Services: Yes
Customs Clearance Services: Yes
Maintenance andrepair ofvessels: Yes
France
Nodifference ismade between national andforeign suppliers whocanaccede under thesame
conditions tothiskindofactivities.
Germany
Although therearenolegalrestrictions concerning market access ingeneral thereareonlyfewforeign
suppliers present intheauxiliary services market. Concrete dataconcerning foreign owned companies
orparticipation inGerman-owned companies isnotavailable because there isnoobligation forany
sortofregistration, permit etc.
Greece
Container station anddepot services: Nointheportareas
Maritime Agency Services: No,except forECnationals
Maritime Freight Forwarding Services: Yes
Maritime Cargo Handling Services: No
Storage andWarehousing Services: No
Customs Clearance Services: No,except forECnationals
Maintenance andrepair ofvessels: Yes.
Ireland
Yes. Foreign suppliers arefreetoestablish.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page33
Italy
Allsuppliers present inthemarket andproviding thelisted services areItalian companies (even
those withahighpercentage offoreign capital).
Netherlands
Foreign suppliers arepresent inthemarket inthefollowing auxiliary services:
Container station anddepot services
Maritime Agency Services
Maritime Freight Forwarding Services
Maritime Cargo Handling Services
Storage andWarehousing Services
Sweden
Same reply asbyDenmark.
United Kingdom
Container station anddepot services: Notknown
Maritime Agency Services: Yes
Maritime Freight Forwarding Services: Yes
Maritime Cargo Handling Services: Yes
Storage andWarehousing Services: Yes
Customs Clearance Services: Yes
Maintenance andrepair ofvessels: Yes
14. Theeffective presence offoreign suppliers operating intheinland movement bytruck, rail
orwater ofinternational waterborne trade cargoes isdifficult toestablish, given thegenerally liberal
regulatory environment applicable tosuchactivities, andtherelated absence ofregulatory monitoring
andstatistics. Remaining restrictions which mayaffect indirectly orincidentally suchoperations are
tobefound essentially inthefieldofrailtransport, where public monopolies existintheoperation
ofrailways infrastructure. Butsinceaccess torailway infrastructures isbeing progressively liberalized
forintermodal/multimodal operators, thiskindofrestrictions tothedirect operation ofaparticular
mode oftransport cannot beconsidered significant inthecontext ofthequestion asked. Additionally,
atransitory limitation tothesupply oftrucking services willbemaintained until1997, intheform
ofaprior authorization required forthose trucking services which areconfined totheterritory ofone
Member State.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page34
II. Regulatory Structure
General
1. Theinternational maritime transport sector ingeneral lieswithin theresponsibility andthe
competence oftheMinistries ofTransport intheECMember States. Within theEuropean Commission,
theDirectorate-GeneralVIIisresponsibleforacommontransportpolicyconcerningthemaritimesector.
More specific information provided fortheMember States isasfollows:
Austria : Ministry ofPublic Economy andTransport
Belgium : 1. Federal authority:
Ministry ofTransport andInfrastructure
Administration ofMaritime Affairs andNavigation
Service Gestion delaNavigation
2. Regional authorities:
Ministerie vandeVlaamse Gemeenschap -Departement Leefmilieu
enInfrastructuur -Waterwegen enZeewezen
Ministère delaRégion Wallonne -Direction générale desVoies
Hydrauliques
Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest -Havenkapiteindienst
Denmark : Ministry ofBusiness andIndustry.
Governmental measures apply horizontally toallsectors including maritime
transport.Thereisnospecificregulatoryapproachwhichappliestothedifferent
types ofshipping.
France : Ministry ofEquipment, Transport andTourism.
Finland : TheMinistry ofTransport andCommunications hasresponsibility forthe
maritime transport policy inFinland, including ports. Within theMinistry the
National Board ofNavigation hasresponsibility forsafety measures, ice-
breaking, fairways andother more technical issues.
Germany : Federal Ministry ofTransport
Greece : TheMinistry ofMercantile Marine isresponsible fortheGreek government
policy regarding thenational andinternational maritime transport sector. It
hasoverall responsibility formaritime safety matters, theprotection ofthe
marine environment, theenforcement ofPortState Control viatheHellenic
Coast Guard which fallsunder theMinistry andinspections ofGreek and
foreign flagvessels. Italsohasoverall responsibilities forsearch andrescue.
Ireland : TheDepartment oftheMarine hasoverall responsibility formaritime transport
policy (including ports, harbours andshipping). TheDepartment 'sobjective
istodeliver theportcapacity, facilities andshipping services tosupport trade
andtourism byensuring thenecessary investment, operating climate and
organizational structures.
Themeasures applied caningeneral beconsidered specific tothesector.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page35
Italy: Ministry ofTransport &Navigation
Directorate General ofTraffic andNavigation.
Luxembourg : Ministry ofTransport -Commissariat ofMaritime Affairs
Netherlands : Within theMinistry ofTransport, Public Works andWater Management, the
Directorate-General ofShipping andMaritime Affairs isresponsible forthe
governmental contribution totheoperation oftheshipping sector andtheinland
navigation, aspartofDutch transport policy.
Portugal : Ministry oftheSea
Directorate General ofPorts, Navigation andMaritime Transport
Spain : Department ofPublic Works, Transport andEnvironment
Secretary General ofTransport -Gen. Dir.ofMerchant Marine
State Society forMaritime Safety andPollution
Sweden : Ministry ofTransport andCommunications andthecompetent administration
istheNational Maritime Administration. There aremeasures specific tothe
maritime sector aswellasmeasures horizontally applied (cfr.competition law).
United Kingdom: TheDepartmentofTransportisresponsibleforUKgovernmentpolicyregarding
theinternational maritime transport sector. Shipping Policy Directorate has
overall responsibility forshipping matters within theDepartment ofTransport.
TheMarine Safety Agency, anExecutive Agency within theDepartment of
Transport, isresponsible forimplementation ofgovernment strategy formarine
safety andprevention ofpollution fromships. Thisincludes representing the
Department 'sinterests intheseareasnationally andinternationally andcarrying
outinspections ofUKandforeign ships.
TheCoastguard Agency, anExecutive Agency within theDepartment of
Transport, isresponsible, interalia,forcivilmaritime search andrescue and
response tocoastline pollution under UKlegislation andinternational
conventions andagreements.
Horizontal measures, applying toallindustry sectors, areadministered bya
number ofother government departments.
2. There isnospecific overall regulatory system applying tobulkshipping.
TheECanditsMember States subscribe totheprinciple offreeandfaircompetition in
international shipping, enshrined inthepackage ofCommunity Regulations adopted in1986(seeanswer
toQuestion 3).Allactivities mustbebased onnormal commercial principles ofsupply anddemand,
taking intoaccount thespecific rulesandregulations concerning safety ofshipsandcrewandprotection
ofthemarine environment, aswellashorizontal ECandnational legislation, incl.theapplicable
competition law.
3. Thereisnospecificoverallregulatorysystemapplyingtolinershipping.TheECanditsMember
States subscribe totheprinciple offreeandfaircompetition ininternational shipping.
Most Member States areParties totheUNConvention onaCode ofConduct forLiner
Conferences, asapplicable inaccordance withtheirinstruments ofratification andwithECCouncil
Regulation No.954/79. (The Convention hassofarnotbeen ratified byGreece, Ireland and
Luxembourg).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page36
International linershipping is,further, subject tothefollowing ECCouncil Regulations1:
- No4055/86 of22December 1986applying theprinciple offreedom toprovide services
tomaritime transport between Member States andbetween Member States andthird
countries.
- No4056/86 of22December 1986 laying down detailed rules fortheapplication of
Articles 85and86oftheTreaty tomaritime transport (competition rules).
- No4057/86 of22December 1986 onunfair pricing practices inmaritime transport.
- No4058/86 of22December 1986 concerning coordinated action tosafeguard free
access tocargoes inocean trades.
Itisalsosubject tospecific rules andregulations concerning maritime safety ofships andcrewand
protection ofthemarine environment, aswellashorizontal ECandnational legislation.
4. There isnooverall regulatory approach concerning multimodal transport. Therules and
regulations ofthedifferent transport sectors -road, air,internal water etc.-aswellasgeneral
competition rulesareapplied. Fortheroadhaulage legofmultimodal transport operators arerequired
toobtain authorization, issued bytheauthorities oftheMember States incompliance withEClegislation,
forwhich theyneedtobebased within theECand,until1997, when thewhole journey iswithin one
Member State, toobtain acabotage licence.
There arenorestrictions inrespect ofaccess totransport equipment usedformultimodal
transport.
5. Arrangements forportmanagement varyamong Member States. Inmany cases management
isbyaStateowned company. Thelegalstatus ofmanagement companies varies. Insome cases there
areautonomous State owned companies managed oncommercial principles andinothers non-profit
making public agencies. Insome Member States suchastheUKtherearealsoprivately managed ports.
There arenorestrictions onservice inrespect ofspecific customers. Inpublic ports access totheport
facilities andlanduseisopen toprivate operators generally, onanon-discriminatory basis under
transparent procedures. Limited exceptions exist(seeanswer toQuestion 8(a)):
Specific information relating tocertain Member States isasfollows:
Belgium : TheportsofAntwerp, GentandOstend aremanaged bythemunicipal authorities with
thefinancial aidoftheFlemish region forbasicportinfrastructure andportequipment.
There isnofinancial aidfortheprivate sector.
TheFlemish region andtheCityofBruges areshareholders oftheMBZ (Port of
Zeebrugge).
Thecontrol oftheoperations isexecuted bytheFlemish minister ofPublic Works.
Seaandriverpilotage isguaranteed bytheFlemish region. Harbour pilotage inthe
portsofAntwerp andZeebrugge isrunbyaprivate company which hastheconcession
ofthisactivity.
Finland : Theports areowned andmanaged either bythemunicipalities orbyprivate industrial
companies.
France: InMetropolitan France portadministrations areorganized inthree ways:
(a) 6ports aremanaged byapublic establishment oftheState(independent/self-
governing ports);
1Published inOJL378of31December 1986.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page37
(b) 17ports arestateports (ports ofnational interest);
(c) themanagement oftheotherportsisentrusted todecentralized authorities such
asdepartments andmunicipalities.
Germany : Portmatters areinthecompetence oftheLänder, amended bycertain competences
ofthecities. Inpublic portstheinfrastructure isofteninpublic ownership andismade
available tousers onanon-discriminatory basis. Thesuperstructure isingeneral
private 'sowned andmade available onacommercial basis. Incases where certain port
rulesapply inaddition togeneral regulations concerning theactivities ofthecompanies
suchrules donotinvolve anydiscrimination between users.
Ireland : Commercial ports aremanaged andoperated bytheChief Executives ofHarbour
Authorities (Public Statutory Bodies). These bodies areunder theaegis ofthe
Department oftheMarine. Their powers andduties aresetoutintheHarbours Act,
1946-1976. Harbour Authorities areempowered, withtheconsent oftheMinister of
theMarine tolease property.
Private persons aresubject toconditions laiddown bytherelevant Harbour Boards
andtonational lawinrelation totheHealth andSafety Act.
Netherlands :Theadministration ofthemain ports intheNetherlands canbeoftwotypes:
- Municipallyownedports(e.g.Rotterdam)aresubjectedtomunicipalregulation.
From alegal point ofview, thePortAuthority isrepresented byaPort
Administration.
- Ports administered byastatutory public body formed either bytheState, the
province andoneormore municipalities, orbytheprovince andoneormore
municipalities. These autonomous bodies administer, maintain andoperate the
ports andtheareas under theirjurisdiction.
Portauthorities areprimarily responsible fortheoperation anddevelopment ofthe
portarea.Auxiliary services aresupplied byprivate companies onacommercial basis.
Portauthorities areresponsible fortheallocation ofscarce resources (such assites)
tocommercial operators. Usually, sitesareleased from theportauthorities bythe
private operators foracertain period.
Spain : Spanish ports involved ininternational commercial activities areconstitutionally
characterized asbeing "ofgeneral interest" andaresoallocated under Stateauthority.
Aunitwithin theMinistry ofPublic Works, Transport andEnvironment withthetitle
"Public StatePorts" isresponsible forthewhole national portsystem andisinoverall
control ofthedifferent PortAuthorities.
Sweden : There isnoregulatory approach specifically applied toportmanagement orthe
undertaking ofauxiliary services activities byprivate persons inportareas. Theports
inSweden aremanaged andoperated bymunicipalities orbyprivate owners. Auxiliary
services areprivately supplied onacommercial basis.
UK: Individual ActsofParliament foreachportdefine itsarea,allocate responsibility for
itsmaintenance andoperation,set outtheconstitution andterms ofoperation, andgive
power totheportauthority tocreate byelawsgoverning theportarea.
Asports authorities areindependent bodies, theallocation ofscarce resources willbe
doneonacommercial basis.
6. There isnoofficial orgeneral legal definition of"international maritime transport". Itis
commonlyunderstoodtomeanthemaritimetransportservicesbetweenMemberStates,betweenMember
States andthirdcountries andbetween thirdcountries. Thisgenerally excludes transport between ports
and/or offshore installations ofaMember State.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page38
7. Asarule,there isnoofficial orgeneral legaldefinition ofa"national shipping enterprise".
FortheMember States Party totheUNConvention onaCode ofConduct forLiner Conferences
thedefinition ofa"national shipping line", subject tothereservation made upon ratification ofthe
Convention isapplicable forthepurposes oftheConvention inthetrades where itapplies.
InSpain, Article 9ofLaw27/1992 onPorts andMerchant Marine provides forthefollowing
definition:
"The physical orlegalperson who, using itsownorother vessels, isdevoted totheoperation
ofvessels, evenwhen thisoperation maynotbehismain activity, done under anymeans
admitted byinternational usage".
Market Access
8.(a) There arenosuchlimitations relating tointernational maritime transport service suppliers,
other thanasfollows:
Germany: Monopoly intheportofBremen fortranshipment ofgeneral cargoes andgrain,
passenger transport andwarehousing activities.
Greece: Allportservices areprovided bypublic enterprises. Their services arefreetotheuser
inanon-discriminatory manner.
Italy: Economic needs testapplicable tocargo handling.
8.(b) Asindicated above (seeanswers toquestion II.2and3)theMember States oftheEuropean
Community maintain apolicy offreeaccess totheinternational shipping market, following
theadoption ofCommunity-wide liberalisation ofshipping services in1986.
8.(c) Notapplicable.
8.(d) There arenospecific provisions inCommunity Regulations orthelegislation ofMember States
tothateffect otherthanasindicated below. Access for"keypersonnel" tocommercial presence
isgoverned byhorizontal commitments already included intheSchedule.
InItaly, access totheregulated profession ofship'sagent ("Raccomandatario Marittimo") is
subject toacondition ofECnationality (Law no.135/77, art.9).
9. Nospecific measures existintheECand/or itsMember States tothateffect.
10. No,other thanasregards limitations incertain Member States related totherighttoflythe
national flag(seealsoQuestion 11).
11. Replies astominimum conditions ofregistration inMember States aregiven below. These
conditions havetobeapplied inconformity withtheprovisions oftheECTreaty relating toright
ofestablishment andfreemovement ofpersons andcapital.
Austria Conditions forgranting therighttoflythenational flag:
(a) Principal location andfulloperational control inAustria;
(b) Majority ofdirectors Austrian orEEA(European Economic Area)-nationals;
Noquantitative restrictions asreferred toinquestion 8andnootherquantitative
limitations.
(c) Majority (more than50%) ofshareholders Austrian orEEA-nationals.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page39
Belgium Atleast50%oftheowners must beofBelgium nationality andreside inBelgium.
Acompany must haveitsprimary establishment inBelgium.
Denmark Foreign company-owned ships mayregister intheDanish International Shipping
Register provided theforeign company appoints arepresentative inDenmark andthat
Danish interests arepresent asregards non-EU-companies.
Finland (a) more than60%ofthevessels must beowned byaFinnish national ora
resident enterprise; thelatter canbealsoaforeign-owned enterprise.
(b) no
(c) no
France Toflythenational flag,vessels must beeither 50%-owned byFrench nationals or
owned bycompanies having theirregistered office (siège social) inFrance.
Germany German flagisobligatory forships owned by:
- German nationals withGerman residence,
- Companies located inGermany andwithGerman majority inrespect of:
*personally liable partners
*management andpower ofrepresentation
*rights forvote,
- Legal persons withGerman member oftheboard orGerman majority in
management,
- Joint ownerships ofships; oneGerman jointowner withGerman residence
andGermanmajoritywithregardtopartsofownershipallowedforshipsowned
bynationals ofECMember States.
German flagisallowed forships owned by:
- Companies established inaECMember Statesubject tolawsandregulations
ofanECMember State,
- Joint ownerships ofships withGerman participation,
- Communities ofheirswithGerman participation ofminimum 50%, andfull
German power ofrepresentation.
Greece More than50%oftheownership must belong toGreek nationals or,inthecaseof
alegalentity, more than50%ofequity must belong toGreek nationals.
Ireland Qualification toownanIrish-registered shiporashare inaIrish-registered shipis
currently confined toIrishcitizens, Irishbodies corporate, citizens orbodies corporate
ofa"reciprocating" State. States currently defined asreciprocating States aretheUK
andColonies, Canada, NewZealand andPakistan.
Legislation amending theseprovisions topermit, interalia,allE.C.citizens andbodies
corporate toownanIrish-registered ship, iscurrently inpreparation.
There arenorestrictions oncitizens orbodies corporate ofanynationality
incorporatinginIrelandandtherebybecomingeligibletoownanIrish-registered
ship.
(a)No.(b)No.(c)No.
Italy Minimum conditions forgranting therighttoflythenational flagareprovided
byArticle 143,andsubsequent modifications oftheItalian CodeofNavigation.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page40
Atleast50%must beowned byItalian citizens, theItalian public sector or
Italian private companies.
Exemptions maybeallowed bythecompetent Minister ifaforeigner haslived
inItalyformore than5years oracompany hasitsprimary establishment in
Italy.
Theships must becrewed 100% withECnationals.
ECnationals (persons orcompanies) areequal toItalian nationals.
Luxembourg Ships registered intheLuxembourg International Shipregister mustbemore
than50%owned byEC-nationals orEC-companies withanoffice inaMember
State.
Thevessel must bemanaged from Luxembourg.
Netherlands Thevessel must beatleast 2/3owned bypersons orcompanies ofEC-
nationality orofoneofthecountries party totheEEA(European Economic
Area) agreement; theabove-mentioned persons orcompanies must practise
theirbusiness bymeans ofanestablishment intheNetherlands andoperate
thevessel from theNetherlands; management oftheabove-mentioned
establishment must beinthehands ofpersons ofEC-nationality orofone
ofthecountries party totheEEA agreement.
Avessel which does notmeet theabove-mentioned conditions regarding
ownership canbegranted theright toflythenational flagviabareboat
registration.
Portugal Registration ofashipinPortugal mustbebyresidents (national register), and
theship must comply with technical requirements such assafety and
environmental standards fixed bynational rules (inaccordance withIMO
Conventions andECRegulations). Theregistry doesnotinvolve quantitative
requirements.
Spain Article 76ofLaw27/1992 onPorts andMerchant Marine provides thatnatural
persons andcorporations domiciled inSpain orincountries oftheEuropean
Economic Community shallhavetherighttoregister andflagcivilian vessels,
provided thatcorporations domiciled incountries oftheEuropean Community
designate arepresentative inSpain.
Sweden Ashipisentitled toflytheSwedish flagifitismore thanhalf-owned bya
Swedish national oraSwedish legal entity; theSwedish national maritime
administration maygrant therighttoflytheSwedish flagtoother ships whose
operation isessentially under Swedish control andwhose owner hashis
permanent residence inSweden.
United Kingdom AnyUK,Commonwealth orECnational established intheUKoranycompany
incorporated intheUK,Commonwealth ortheEC, mayregister ashipon
theUKregister. This includes companies with aparent company not
incorporated intheUK,Commonwealth orEC.
(a)No. (b)No. (c)No.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
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National Treatment
12. Asummary ofthepresent position intheMember States isthat:
1. Portauxiliary services provided onacommercial basis arenotgenerally subsidized.
Public portservices organised intheformofamonopoly orsubjected toapublic service
obligation maybegranted compensatory measures oraidsaccording totheirnon-
commercial situation. Inanycasethere arenodiscriminatory fees,taxes orlevies.
2. International shipping services aregenerally exempted fromVAT. However, Member
States currently retain therighttowaive thisexemption forcertain specific services
(often provided byforeign operators iftheircountry oforigin doesnotexempt Member
States operators onareciprocal basis).
3. Some Member States grant directly orindirectly public aidstoshipping companies
established intheirterritories, totheoperation ofvessels registered inandflying the
flagoftheseMember States. Suchsupport schemes aregenerally meant tocompensate
fortheadditional costs associated withtheconditions attached toshipregistration.
Such public aids,which arenotcurrently subjected tomultilateral disciplines, must
however beinconformity withtheprovisions oftheTreaty ofRome (Articles 92and
93).
Access toandUseofPortFacilities
13. Allservices areavailable intheMember States oftheEConanon-discriminatory basis to
allusers.The non-availability ofsome ofthese services insmaller ports depends onanon-justification
inacommercial andtechnical sense.
14.
Austria Notrelevant.
Belgium Incertain cases forships carrying hazardous andnoxious substanties pilotage
services aremandatory.
Denmark Mandatory pilotage incertain Danish ports.
Finland Pilotage: theuseismandatory withtheexception ofpilotage intheportarea
which isnotmandatory.
Towing andtugassistance :onlyinspecial circumstances.
Garbage collecting andballast disposal :solidwaste mandatory, problem waste
special fee.
France Pilotage, berthing andinsome cases towing andtugservices areobligatory.
Germany Ingeneral pilotage, towing andtugservices aremandatory. Also certain
navigation aids(VTS) aremandatory forcertain ships. Under certain conditions
ships canapply forexemptions.
Greece Pilotage ismandatory. Alsotowing andtugassistance services aremandatory
forshipsover1.000 grt(entrance andexitfromports, berthing andanchorage).
Ireland Pilotage iscompulsory.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page42
Italy Pilotage;
Towing (butonlyinsome ports andforships carrying dangerous goods);
Garbage collection andballast waste disposal.
Luxembourg Notrelevant.
Netherlands Theuseoftheaforementioned services issometimes mandatory, based on
national/local safety regulations. Therules varyaccording toshiptype, size
oftheship, typeofcargo (e.g.dangerous goods), etc.andapply toallships,
regardless oftheirnationality.
Portugal Pilotage.
Sweden Pilotage ismandatory depending onthesizeoftheshipandthecargo.
Spain Pilotage ismandatory, withseveral exceptions.
United Kingdom Onsafety grounds some vessels atsome ports mayberequired tousesome
oftheservices suchasPilotage, towing andtugassistance andAnchorage,
berthandberthing services.Vessels which failportstatecontrol inspection may
berequired tomake useofemergency repair facilities.
15. Alllisted services areavailable onanon-discriminatory basis, except foranchorage services
inItaly; seeanswer to23.
16. No.
17. No,except foranchorage inItaly; seeanswer to23.
18. No.Terminal facilities areusedaccording toavailability andtechnical considerations onanon-
discriminatory basis; conditions havetobeagreed onacompetitive basis.
19. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden:
No.
Finland: No,withtheexception oftheprivate ports owned byindustrial companies.
IntheUK, ports themselves canimpose, through theirlocalbyelaws, requirements interaliafor
theconductofvesselsinport;reportingbycaptainsfornavigationalpurposes;payments
ofdues, etc,though suchbyelaws normally must beconfirmed bytheGovernment
before theycome intoeffect.
Most-favoured-nation treatment
Answer toQuestions 20and21:
TheECanditsMember States follow apolicy offreeandfaircompetition ininternational
shipping. They have nevertheless accepted theUNConvention onaCode ofConduct forLiner
Conferences, inamanner thatsafeguards theconditions ofcompetition among ECandother OECD
country lines, soastoaccord apreferential treatment tonational linesofdeveloping countries (see
alsotheanswer toQuestion 22below).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page43
Theexception tothisgeneral policy isanumber ofbilateral agreements between certain Member
States andthirdcountries which contain cargo-sharing arrangements, asindicated intwoTables attached,
relating respectively totrades where theLiner Code applies (inaccordance withtheinstruments of
ratification ofthe11Member States which areParties) andthose where itdoesnot.Most ofthese
agreements arewithWest African countries andformer state-trading countries. Anycargo rights of
nationals oftheMember States under suchagreements aresubject totheprovisions ofECCouncil
Regulations Nos. 4055/86* and954/79 (seeanswer toQuestion 22).
BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH CARGO-SHARING ARRANGEMENTS
INNON-CODIST TRADES*
MEMBER STATE THIRD COUNTRY SHARES
GERMANY Brazil Equal rights toparticipate inthetransport ofcargo
PORTUGAL West African countries:
Angola
SaoTome y
Principe
Hungary
Poland
BrazilEqual access tocargo
Equal shares ofcargo
Equal access tocargo
Equal access tocargo
Equal access tocargo; excludes minerals, oilandderived fuels
* Applicable inconformity withECCouncil Regulation no.4055/86, soastoprovide freeandnon-discriminatory access toall
Community shipowners.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page44
BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH CARGO-SHARING ARRANGEMENTS
INCODIST TRADES*
MEMBER STATE THIRD COUNTRY SHARES
BELGIUM
&LUXEMBOURG
(Note: Luxembourg isnota
Party totheLiner Code)West African countries:
Coted'Ivoire
Senegal
Mali
Togo
Zaire
Malaysia40-40-20 allcargo
40-40-20 linercargo
40-40-20 linercargo
Equal shares liner; eachtohavemin.40%ofglobal traffic,
max. 20%for3rdcountry lines
40-40-20 allcargo
Equitable sharing bilateral trade andliner; 3rdcountry lines
haverights asperLiner Code
GERMANY West African country:
Coted'Ivoire 40-40-20 allcargo
FRANCE Tunisia 40-40-20 linercargo
ITALY West African countries:
Senegal
Coted'Ivoire
Morocco40-40-20 linercargo
40-40-20 allcargo
40-40-20 liner, min.40%eachParty'sships
PORTUGAL West African countries:
Senegal
Cape Verde
Bulgaria
Romania
USSR**
YugoslaviaEquitable participation intransport ofalltrade.
Equal access toallcargo; upto20%maybecarried by3rd
country ships
Equal rights inthecarriage ofcargo without af-fecting rights
ofparticipation of3rdcountry ships
Equal access inthecarriage ofcargo without af-fecting rights
ofparticipation of3rdcountry ships
Equal share ofcargo
Equal rights intheshare ofcargo
SPAIN West African countries:
Cameroon
Congo
Coted'Ivoire
Equatorial Guinea
Senegal
Gabon
Tunisia
Morocco
USSR**40-40-20 liner, including wine inbulkandtimber
Equal shares linercargo, incl.worked timber, sawn timber
andlogwood, max20%to3rdlines
40-40-20 allcargo
Harmonise activities sothatthetransport iseffected inships of
theParties
Harmonize activities &commercial policies tomake optimum
useofcapacity andgetfairshare ofshipping
Equal liner, incl.timber, lumber, log-wood; atleast40%of
totalcargo
40-40-20 linerpassengers andgoods; max20%to3rdcountry
ships;
40-40-20 allcargo, min.40% eachParty'sships
Equal shares oflinercargoes
* Applicable subject toECCouncil Regulation no.4055/86, inconformity withtheUNConvention onaCode ofConduct for
Liner Conferences andECCouncil Regulation no.954/79.
** Agreements signed bytheECanditsMember States withcountries oftheformer USSR (incl. theRussian Federation andUkraine)
disapply thecargo-sharing provision inthebilateral agreement with theUSSR.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page45
22. ECCouncil Regulation No.954/79 dissapplies thecargo sharing provisions ofArticle 2of
theCode inconference trades between ECMember States and,onareciprocal basis, between EC
Member States andotherOECD countries. Italsomakes subject toredistribution, among theconference
linesoftheMember States andofother OECD countries offering reciprocity, theshares ofthenational
linesoftheMember State concerned; theMember States haveaccordingly ratified theCode witha
reservation tothiseffect.
Thecargo sharing provisions ofArticle 2oftheLiner Code serve asabasisforarrangements
between theshipping linesconcerned. Thegovernments donotintervene inthese arrangements.
23. No,except inItalywhere lower amounts arecharged foranchorage toItalian ships and,on
abasis ofreciprocity, tonearly allforeign ships.
24. No.
25. ECCouncil Regulation No.4058/86, specific tothesector, applies "when action byathird
country orbyitsagents restricts orthreatens torestrict freeaccess byshipping companies ofMember
States orbyships registered inaMember Stateinaccordance withitslegislation tothetransport of:
- linercargoes inCode trades, except where suchaction istaken inaccordance with
theUnited Nations Convention onaCode ofConduct forLiner Conferences;
- linercargoes innon-Code trades;
- bulkcargoes andanyother cargo ontramp services;
- passengers;
- persons orgoods toorbetween offshore installations."
Requests totheCommission relating tomeasures under theregulation canbemade onlyby
aMember State.
Counter-measures maybe:
"directed attheshipping company orcompanies ofthethirdcountries concerned or
attheshipping company orcompanies ofother countries which benefit fromtheaction
taken bythecountries concerned, whether operating asahome-trader orasacross-
trader inCommunity trades.
Those counter-measures mayconsist, separately orincombination, of:
(i) theimposition ofanobligation toobtain apermit toload, carry ordischarge cargoes;
suchapermit maybesubject toconditions orobligations;
(ii) theimposition ofaquota;
(iii) theimposition oftaxes orduties. "
Specification ofthecounter-measures, asappropriate inanyparticular case, isforeseen in
Article 5oftheRegulation.
Related national legislation exists inanumber ofMember States, asfollows:
Belgium : Thenotetocomply legislation andthelawfortheprotection oftheBelgian merchant
marine.
Denmark : Actno.239of14thofApril 1989onMeasures against Differential Treatment within
International Shipping.
Finland : TheActonMeasures fortheProtection ofFinnish Shipping Trade (142/1987) and
from 1January 1995 theCouncil Regulation 4058/86.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page46
France : Thelawof29December 1983permits topublic authorities totakemandatory measures
incasethemaritime andcommercial interests ofFrance arethreatened.
Germany : Retaliatory measures arepossible totakeaction against anticompetitive practices of
foreign states. There arerestrictions fortheconclusion offreight contracts forthe
transport ofgeneral cargo incases where German residents acting ontheirownbehalf
orasdeputies, agents orthelikeandresidents ofcertain foreign states areinvolved.
Inaddition thecharter ofships flying foreign flags aresubject toapermit incases
where German residents andresidents ofcertain foreign states areinvolved.
Italy: Lawno.69/1987: thecompetent Minister, upon advice ofanadhocCommission,
canprohibit orrestrict theparticipation tomaritime transport toandfromItalian ports
originatedbythenationaleconomysystemforshippingcompaniesbelongingtocountries
limiting thefaircompetition ofinternational maritime trades.
Article 6ofLawno.82/1963 relating to"revision ofmaritime taxesanddues" provides
formeasures tocancel thebenefits granted forpayment ofmaritime taxes anddues
against countries performing flagdiscrimination.
Netherlands :Dutch legislation enables thegovernment totakecounter-measures. These measures
arespecific tothemaritime transport services sector.
Spain: Article 82ofLaw27/1992 onPorts andMerchant Marine provides that"when there
exists aserious threat totheprinciples ofopen competition orfreetrade ortothe
principles onwhich international shipping isbased andwhich affects Spanish ships,
theGovernment mayadopt anymeasures andprovisions necessary toprotect Spanish
interests inthedispute". "Where theprovisions ofCommunity lawsandregulations
orinternational agreements signed bySpain areconcerned, theGovernment mayrestrict
allorpartofcertain traffic toSpanish orCommunity merchant ships ifthenational
Economy orDefense sorequire".
Sweden: Sweden hasanActonMeasures toprotect Swedish Maritime Transport, promulgated
14March 1985.
26. Seeanswers toQuestion 25.
Government Procurement
27. TheCommunity anditsMember States donotapply theconcept ofgovernment cargoes. As
faraspublic procurement ofservices isconcerned, theywillbebound bytheircommitments negotiated
under theGovernment Procurement Agreement, which donothowever cover maritime transport at
thisstage.
Afurther discipline relating tothepublic procurement ofMaritime Transport Services will
besubject tofurther consideration according toArticle XIIIoftheGeneral Agreement ofTrade in
Services.
28. Seeanswer toQuestion 27above.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page47
Competition Law
29. There isnosectoral exemption ofmaritime transport from ECantitrust law.Therelevant
provisions oftheTreaty, i.e.Articles 85and86,arefullyapplicable tomaritime transport.
There isablock exemption from theprohibition ofagreements, decisions andconcerted practices
restricting ordistorting competition forlinerconferences inECCouncil Regulation No.4056/86.
Theconferences exempted bythisRegulation must, however, always meetthefourgeneral exemption
conditions provided forbyArt.85(3) oftheTreaty, i.e.:
- contribution toimproving theproduction ordistribution ofgoods ortopromoting
technical oreconomic progress
- allowing consumers afairshare oftheresulting benefit
- indispensibility ofimposed restrictions toachieve benefit
- nopossibility ofeliminating competition inrespect ofasubstantial partoftheservices
inquestion.
Thesameprinciple willapply totheconsortia block exemption regulation which willbeissued
bytheEuropean Commission.
29.(b) There isnospecific legalinstrument dealing withtheapplication ofECcompetition rulesto
multimodal transport including amaritime leg.Thegeneral ECcompetition rules, asreferred
toabove, areapplicable.
29.(c) Asstated under (a)above, Article 86oftheTreaty, which forbids theabuse ofadominant
position, isfullyapplicable tomaritime transport.
29.(d) Shippers 'councils arenotregulated byEClaw.However, agreements between transport users
andconferences concerning theuseofscheduled maritime transport services areexempted
from thecartel prohibition byCouncil Regulation No.4056/86.
Shipping Conferences
30. There arenosuchmeasures under EClaw.Aconference agreement isanagreement between
commercial parties andtheadmission ofnewmembers maybesubject toapproval ofexisting members.
Intrades where theUNConvention onaCode ofConduct forLiner Conferences applies, EC
Council Regulation No.954/79 concerning theratification byMember States of,ortheiraccession
totheConvention isapplicable.
There arenowritten rulesonnotice periods andpenalty payments concerning thewithdrawal
fromaconference. However, theCommission hasrequested inaparticular casetoallow member lines
towithdraw withanotice period ofsixmonths. Theconference hadoriginally required anotice period
ofoneyear, which seemed overly restrictive.
31. TheECsystem doesnotprovide forsystematic agreement filing. Conferences which fulfill
theexemption requirements ofRegulation No.4056/86, donothavetofile.Conferences which provide
foragreements notcovered byRegulation No.4056/86, willhavetofiletheiragreements foran
individual exemption. Thisexemption isonlygranted, iftheagreement inquestion fulfills thefour
conditions ofArt.85(3) mentioned above (seeanswer toquestion 29(a)). Theexemption willbe
withdrawn, ifanagreement ceases tofulfill thefourconditions ofArt.85(3).
TheCommissionmaythusrefuseanapplicationforindividualexemptionandforbidagreements,
iftheydonotmeettheexemption conditions ofArt.85(3).
Ifconferencesoriginallyexemptedbytheblockexemptionregulationneverthelessarenotsubject
toactual orpotential competition, theCommission maywithdraw theblock exemption.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.12
Page48
32. Tariffs arelikewise notfiledunder EClaw.
33. Conferences arenotrequired, under Community law,toallow independent rateaction.
34.(a) LoyaltyarrangementsareallowedbyRegulationNo.4056/86undercertainconditions.Generally
speaking, loyalty arrangements shallprovide safeguards making explicit therights oftransport
usersandconference members. Eachconference shalloffershippers either animmediate rebate
system oradeferred rebate system.
Under theimmediate rebate system theparties areentitled toterminate theloyalty arrangement
atanytimewithout penalty andsubject ingeneral toaperiod ofnotice ofnotmore thansixmonths.
Under thedeferred rebate system neither theloyalty period onthebasisofwhich therebate iscalculated
northesubsequent loyalty period required before payment oftherebate mayexceed, asarule,six
months.
34.(b) There arenospecific legal provisions dealing withagreements between conferences and
outsiders. Suchagreements arenotcovered byRegulation No.4056/86 andwould therefore
havetobeassessed onacase-by-case basis according toArt.85,86oftheTreaty.
34.(c) Service contracts asaspecial typeofloyalty arrangements fallunder theprovisions of
Regulation No.4056/86. TheRegulation acknowledges anysystem which islawful. Service
contracts areallowed aslongastheyprovide safeguards concerning therights oftransport
users andconference members.
Shipper/Carrier Relations
Answer toQuestions 35and36:
Shipper/carrierrelationsarepurelycommercialwithoutgovernmentalinvolvement.Therelations
areorganized onthebasisofrulessuchastheCENSA/ESC-Code, theLiner Code Convention orother
voluntary arrangements thatmaybeappropriate.
Regulation No.4056/86 foresees, asanobligation attaching totheexemption ofconferences,
thedutyofconsultations forthepurpose ofseeking solutions ongeneral issues ofprinciple between
transport users ontheonehandandconferences ontheother concerning rates, conditions andquality
ofscheduled maritime transport services.
These consultations shalltakeplace whenever either conferences orshippers 'councils request
them.
Theconsultations areentirely amatter fortheparties andtheECCommission hasnopartin
them. However, parties havetonotify totheCommission arbitration awards andrecommendations
made byconciliators.