International Freight Forwarders Liability Study

We are not strange with the term of international freight forwarder.But it is a new trade that has been developing after China's reform and opening up.At the beginning,the freight forwarder was just an agency.While with the emergence of liner shipping,international freight forwarder extends its business scope into the field of NVOCC.The transformation of the status will surely change its rights,obligations and responsibilities.In China,the development and progress of freight forwarding is indubitable.But in the meantime,there is still no special law adjusting them up to now,so the prohlems are also inevasible.The whole paper is divided into four parts,aming to discuss the legal responsibilities of international freight forwarder deeply and comprehensively.The first chapter points that the international freight forwarder has no consistent concept through the world,and introduces its concepts in the world and in our country.Besides concept,this part also states the property and role of international freight forwarder.The most important part in this chapter is the analysis of the regal status of the international freight forwarder in different legal systems and in traditional meaning and of NVOCC in China.Chapter two indicates the different relationships that the international freight forwarder has.It also gives the respective rights,obligations and responsibilities of the different party in this relation.Reconsignment and dual representation are two phenomena that exist in the operation of the international freight forwarder.With cases,Chatper three mainly analysizes the responsibility of the international freight forwarder in these two aspcts.Chapter four is the reserch on the responsibility of international freight forwarder in delivery of goods(or cargo) without presentation of the original bills of lading.The tradional international freight forwarder needn't take any responsibilities for he is merely an agent not the party concerned.While the NVOCC shoudn't shift off the responsibilities if he has faulty in this aspect. Surely,he also has right to demur.Through the introduction of legal responsibilities of freight forwarder,the writer wants to let you know the whole industry of international freight forwarding in our country and wish to do some help to perfect them.