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绕航条款-Asbatankvoy

(2014-09-21 13:20:06)

(1)     普通法默示的不绕航义务

我们在第一章已经详细介绍,英国法下,承运人负有严格的不绕航的义务。所谓不绕航,是指船舶需要依照通常、习惯的航线航行,否则即构成绕航,在发生绕航的情形下,只有在几种特别情形下承运人的绕航是合理的,其余均为不合理绕航。就何为通常、习惯的航线,以及合理绕航等问题,可见第一章的详细介绍。

(2)     Asbatankvoy的规定-Asbatankvoy 20(b)(vii)

由于法律对于绕航(deviation)的规定过于严格,如租约不作约定,船东很容易违反绕航义务。因此,租约普遍都会约定绕航条款,英文一般称为deviation clause或者liberty clause

Asbatankvoy20b(vii)就为绕航条款,按照第20条的说明,该绕航条款不仅是租约的条款,同时依据租约签发的提单也应当包含该条款Asbatankvoy20b(vii)条文如下:

DEVIATION CLAUSE. The Vesselshall have liberty to call at any ports in any order, to sail with or without pilots, to tow or to be towed, to go to the assistance of vessels in distress, to deviate for the purpose of saving life or property or of landing any ill or injured person on board, and to call for fuel at any port or ports in or out of the regular course of the voyage. Any salvage shall be for the sole benefit of the Owner.

(中文翻译:本船可自由以任何顺序挂靠任何港口,航行时可以有引航员也可以无引航员,可进行拖带或被拖带,援助处于困难的船舶,为救助人命或财产或使船上生病或受伤人员登岸之目的而绕航,以及为添加燃油而挂靠位于正常航线之上或之外的任何港口。任何救助报酬的受益人仅是船东。)

需要指出的是,租约很可能并入的《海牙规则》或类似公约也规定了救助它船财产的行为也属于合理绕航的理由。

我们逐句分析上述绕航条文:

“本船可自由以任何顺序挂靠任何港口”the Vessel shall have liberty to call at any ports in any order

首先,to call at any ports,字面意思为可以挂靠任何港口。不过该措辞并不使得在航次租船合同的执行过程中,船东可以让船舶挂靠全世界的任何港口。就该措辞,Lord SummerFrenkel v. MacAndrews [1] 中对有作出说明:

“有一方主张该条款赋予了船舶挂靠全世界任何一个港口的权利。就此,我认为这涉及到一个对商业合同中的商业表述的解释问题,我并认为,该条款只可能有一种含义,即船舶可自由挂靠的港口必需是大体上在船舶需经过的航线中的。当然,该条款赋予船舶某种程度上可以走通常航线以外的港口……我认为该条款一直被理解为船舶可以挂靠该航线中自然的、通常会挂靠的港口。如果是此种解释,不可避免会被进一步解释为船舶需要按照地理顺序挂靠港口,因此合同双方约定时常会进一步约定“in any order,但在任何情况下我认为船舶所挂靠的港口应当大体在该航次的航线中。[2]

依据上述分析,即使租约约定了“to call at any ports”,船东还是只能依照地理顺序挂靠大体在船舶需经过的航线中的港口(substantially on the course of the voyage),也因此,租约常加入“in any order”的表述,使得在挂靠港口的顺序上有更多自由。而什么港口是“substantially on the course of the voyage”是个事实问题。

依照上述原则,在The Nour案中,在一个自秘鲁的Callao至台湾的航次中,船舶在Callao装完货后又南下1500多海里去智利装货,最终被判定船东无法依据租约约定的“to call at any ports”来证明自己行为的合理性,该行为是违约行为。

此外,我们在2.3节分析Asbatankvoy的第1条条文时,说明了第1条约定船舶装货后应当立即驶往卸港(proceed directly to the discharging ports)。因此,表面上来看,第1条和第20条的绕航条款存在一定的冲突。Voyage Charters3rd Edition)一书认为,对此问题,需进行整体解释,就“装货航次”,船东需要遵守第1条的约定,对于第20条赋予的以任何顺序挂靠任何港口应当进行严格解释,[3] 即对于Asbatankvoy中约定的“to call at any ports”的解释可能会更严格。

“航行时可以有引航员也可以无引航员,可进行拖带或被拖带”to sail with or without pilots, to tow or to be towed

虽有本条规定,当然还需符合航行当地法律的规定。

“可以援助处于困难的船舶,为救助人命或财产或使船上生病或受伤人员登岸之目的而绕航”to go to the assistance of vessels in distress, to deviate for the purpose of saving life or property or of landing any ill or injured person on board

我们已在第一章介绍,如果租约未作约定,因单纯救助财产而绕航在英国法下并不是合理绕航,因此租约普遍会约定救助财产的绕航为合理绕航,本条的意义主要在于此。

“为添加燃油而挂靠位于正常航线之上或之外的任何港口”to call for fuel at any port or ports in or out of the regular course of the voyage.

众所周知,船舶在运营过程中经常需要加油。英国法下虽然对于船舶绕航有严格的规定,但是已有案例表明,如果通常的船舶或者执行该航线的特定船舶会挂靠航线中的一个特定港口加油,则挂靠加油港本身也是通常和习惯航线的一部分,不构成不合理绕航。[4]

Asbatankvoy20条特别规定,船舶可以为了添加燃油而挂靠位于正常航线之上或“之外”的任何港口。我们在上文已经介绍,Asbatankvoy1条要求船舶直接驶往卸货港,第20条的规定要和第1条进行整体解释。Voyage Charters3rd Edition)一书认为,针对Asbatankvoy20条和第1条的规定,对于“加油港口”的问题应当狭义解释,其规定应当基本上和普通法所默示的一致[5] ,不应给予船东过于“自由”的权利。当然,实务中,船东也不大可能“过分”绕航去加油,此方面较少出现争议。

“任何救助报酬的受益人仅是船东”Any salvage shall be for the sole benefit of the Owner

事实上,正常的,如果可因救助获取报酬,除非租约有特别约定,也仅有船东有权益取得该报酬[6] ,因此该条的规定只是肯定了法律的默示规定。

(3)     其它租约的规定

Asbatankvoy的规定有所不同,BPVoy426条“Liberty”条款规定除非租家同意,船东保证船舶在载货航次不为加油之目的而作绕航和停留:

Unless specifically agreed to the contrary by Charterers, Owners undertake that the Vessel will not stop or deviate for the purpose of replenishing bunkers on a laden passage.

 



[1] [1929] A.C. 545

[2] 原文:It was argued that the clause gives liberty to call at any port in the world. Here, again, it is a question of the construction of a mercantile expression used in a mercantile document, and I think that as such the term can have but one meaning, namely, that the ports, liberty to call at wihch is intended to be given, must be ports which are substantially ports which will be passed on the named voyage. Of course, such a term must entitle the vessel to go somewhat out of the ordinary track by sea of the named voyage, for going into the port of call in iteself would involve that. To"call"at a port is a well-known sea-terms; it means to call for the purposes of business, generally to take in or unload cargo, or to receive ordres; it must mean that the vessel may stop at the port of call for a time, or else the liberty to call would be idle. I believe the term has always been interpreted to mean that the ship may call at such ports as would naturally and usually be ports of call on the voyage named. If the stipulation were only that she might call at any ports, the invariable construction has been that she would only be entitled to call at such ports in their geographical order; and therefore the words 'in any order' are frequently added, but in any case it appears to me that the ports must be ports substantilly on the course of the voyage.

[3] Voyage Charters, 3rd Edition, para78.2

[4] The Indian City [1939] A.C. 562, 575, 584; 又可见The Hill Harmony [2001] A.C. 638

[5] Voyage Charters, 3rd Edition, para. 78.6

[6] The Collier (1866) L.R. 1 A. & E. 83


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