A Study On Regulation Of Liner Conference Under The Shipping Act Of U.S.A.

As the international shipping monopolies, liner conference is always the core of regulation in every country’s shipping law, certainly the Shipping Act of U.S.A. has admitted of no exception whatsoever. Under the open conference system of U.S.A., Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 has established the antitrust exemption system of liner conference agreement, service contract system and legal responsibility system of liner conference, which structures the system of the regulating the liner conference. Up to date the U.S.A. government is deregulating the liner conference ceaseless, as the Shipping Act of 2010 had been introduced to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of U.S.A., the trend of deregulation has been overwhelming. Nevertheless China’s legislation defects on the regulation of liner conference is serious, many major issues, for example, whether giving liner conference agreement the privilege of antitrust exemption are full of disputes. Shipping Act of U.S.A. is the model of international shipping legislation, it happens to be enacting China Shipping law now, therefore, it has profound significance for China to perfect its shipping legislation, especially to study the issue that how U.S.A. to regulate liner conference intensively.Except for preface and conclusion, there are four chapters in the main body.Chapter one firstly defines liner conference, clarify the conference’s activities and nature of its shipping monopoly, then evaluates the liner conference; secondly introduces the outline of Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998, expounds its background and main content, furthermore evaluates the Act deeply; last but not least,analyses the method of U.S.A. Shipping Act regulating liner conference.Chapter two elaborates the system of regulating on conference Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998 has structured, introduces the antitrust exemption system of liner conference, service contract system and the legal responsibility system of liner conference in detail, and evaluates the whole regulation system.Chapter three announces the new development of regulating liner conference in U.S. A.-Shipping Act of 2010, introduces the purposes of regulation of ocean shipping, efficiency and service-enhancing agreement, the new revolution of service contract, elimination of conference and its antitrust exemption, dispute resolution system of F.M.C. etc..Chapter four describes the current situation of China’s regulation of liner conference, through comparing with the Shipping Act of U.S.A., finds out the issue of China regulation on liner conference, on that basis, put forwards that the U.S.A. Shipping Act provides better reference for China Shipping Act.