International Practice of Liner Container Shipping Regulation in the Transport System

Abstract

Effective regulatory and legal framework in this field has several positive advantages for the transportation participants. A significant place in the article is given to ensuring the principle of “common carrier” for access of a wide range of consumers to the container carriers service. In connection with the transformation both of supply chains and logistics flows under conditions of new foreign economic factors along with the emergence of new shipping lines on the Russian container market the relevance of this topic will continue to increase.Aim. To consider the aspects of normative and legal regulation of liner container shipping in the USA, EU, PRC and the Russian Federation.Tasks. To analyze the strategies of shipping lines on the Russian and global markets, to identify key regulatory legal acts of foreign countries in the sphere of liner container shipping, to identify the features of the Russian legislation in this sphere and the ways of its development.Methods. Regulatory legal acts of the USA, EU, PRC and the Russian Federation were collected, which play an extremely important role in the development of international container transportation and increasing the competitiveness of foreign economic activity.Results. The research of relevant legal frameworks and instruments of state regulation of sea container lines activity to ensure non-discriminatory access of consumers of transportation services, public availability of information about liner container services, high quality of transportation services for foreign economic relations was carried out.Conclusions. In modern foreign economic conditions, alliances and various forms of carrier cooperation are the subject of state regulation of liner container shipping in order to protect competition on the market. The legislation of the USA and the Russian Federation establishes compulsory publication of shipping line tariffs, while according to the provisions of the PRC legislation shipping lines provide their tariffs to the freight exchange, which is authorized by the competent state body. In addition, international experience shows that sea lines “Common carriers” are subject to a number of other requirements. In the Russian Federation, sea container transportation is carried out by both liner and tramp vessels due to the fact that the certain carriers are not registered as shipping line operators and information about some regular container services is limited.