Maritime law has an international character. The practising lawyer will be
confronted with international conventions and other international instruments
containing uniform law. It is broadly acknowledged that such instruments
should be construed and applied uniformly. Therefore, knowledge of foreign
judgments is imperative.

This book contains an extensive comparative law study of English, American and
Dutch law concerning the construction of The Hague (Visby) Rules. Australian
and Canadian law has been discussed where relevant. The authors have attempted
to present law at an academic level in a way which will be useful to the
practising lawyer.

Lawyers dealing with shipments passing through the major European ports of The
Netherlands will especially appreciate the bookand#8217;s emphasis on Dutch law, which
has a broader scope of application than one might expect. Dutch law is often
mandatorily applicable when cargo is discharged at a port in The Netherlands,
and Dutch Courts are obliged to apply Dutch law to questions of who can claim
or sue and who can be sued under a Bill of Lading. Dutch law also applies to
ship arrest and the release of vessels against security, the right to conduct
a survey (including the question of which documents should be disclosed), and
the enforced sale of vessels in The Netherlands.

Other matters discussed in this book are global limitation of liability, the
applicability of The Hague (Visby) Rules in the Netherlands and electronic
bills of lading. This book will be of interest to practitioners working in
this very specialized field, as well as to students of comparative law. It
will especially be of practical value to anyone dealing with cargo damage,
ship arrest or litigation in the Netherlands.