《合同法》对海上货物运输合同影响的若干法律问题研究
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摘要
于一九九九年十月一日生效的《中华人民共和国合同法》适应了我国市场经济体制的要求，建立了市场经济的基本交易规则，确立了一大批新的制度，健全了我国的合同法律制度。合同法与海上货物运输合同法是一种一般与特殊的关系，因而，合同法的发展变化不可避免地要影响到海上货物运输合同。我国新的合同法的施行，将对我国海上货物运输合同甚至整个海商法都要产生影响。
本文首先从合同法与海上货物运输合同的关系开始，介绍两大法系合同立法与其海上货物运输合同的关系、国际公约关于海上货物运输合同的规定。然后讲述我国合同法的特点、内容等，重点讲述了我国合同法新引入的理论原则和制度，这一系列理论原则和制度反映了市场经济的要求，如平等、自愿、公平、诚实信用原则、格式合同条款、缔约过失责任、同时履行抗辩权、不安抗辩权、后履行抗辩权、债权人代位权和撤销权等等。并且介绍了我国海商法关于海上货物运输合同的规定。
本文重点论述了新《合同法》对海上货物运输合同所产生的影响中的六大问题：一、海上货物运输合同的订立问题，笔者从合同订立的基本规则着手，结合航运业务实践和不同类型的海上货物运输合同对合同的订立作出分析，并对关于格式条款的有关规定对海上货物运输合同的影响专门进行了分析。二、预付运费问题，收取运费是承运人的基本权利，运费不可触动、不得扣减是一个古老的航运惯例，但《合同法》的规定改变了这一惯例，除另有约定外，运费的风险由承运人承担，货物因不可抗力灭失的，承运人无权收取运费。三、承运人对货物的留置权问题，按照《合同法》规定，沿海货物运输承运人留置货物不以债务人所有为限，而依《海商法》，国际海上货物运输承运人只能留置债务人的货物，这是不合理的，因此，笔者建议留置权的标的物不以债务人所有为限，《海事诉讼特别程序法》第四十四条的规定限制了承运人行使货物留置权的方式，但不能改变留置权的成立要件。四、合同的变更与转让问题，本文对绝大多数情况下均会涉及到第三人利益的运输合同的变更和转让，结合海上货物运输合同的实践作法分析了《合同法》有关规定对其的影响，五、不合理绕航问题，《合同法》第九十四条第四项实质上是将根本违约作为合同解除事由加以规定，并以违约行为及其严重性作为判断标准。因此，在《合同法》下，不合理绕航不一定构成根本违约，即使不合理绕航构成根本违约，因为承运人不一定具有丧失免责或责任限
制条款的情节，也不必然导致免责与责任限制的丧失。六、承运人的责任制度问题，
承运人对货物的灭失、损害及延迟交付所造成的损失是否应承担责任，承担多少责任
取决于承运人的责任制度，仅因航线不同而使用不同的责任制度是不合理的，笔者建
议采用完全过失责任制，但不实行推定过失。
通过对上述问题的介绍和研究，笔者认为，尽快修订和完善我国海商法尤其是海
上货物运输合同部分，将是有益和必要的，这必将对我国海商立法和实践起到促进作
用。
The Contract Law of P.R.C was ratified and then came into effect on Oct.1, 1999. The principle of market exchange and many new rules were initially completely built in China. The new Contract Law adapts to the needs of the development of Chinese economy and will bring many important influences on all kinds of commercial contracts. As we know, the relation between contract and Contract of carriage of goods by sea is general law and special law. So, with the change of contract law, Contract of carriage of goods by sea will change. After the adoption of the Contract Law of China, it will, I think, deeply influence Contract of carriage of goods by sea of China.
In this thesis, what I firstly introduce is the relation between contract law and Contract of carriage of goods by sea, secondly about the relation in two legal system, namely Common law system and Civil law System, thirdly the regulations on Contract of carriage of goods by sea in international convention and routine, last is something about the Contract Law of China and Contract of carriage of goods by sea of China. Some new theories such as equality and free will, equity, good faith, standard contract, and all kinds of defenses, which adapting to the requirements of markets economy, are made out in the Contract Law.
The article will study six questions about the influence of the new Contract Law on the Contract of the carriage of goods by sea. Such as:
Formation of Contract of Carriage of Goods by Sea According to
different circumstances occurred in practice, consideration about various kinds of contracts of carriage of goods by sea is made. And the standard form's influence on those kinds of contracts is also studied here.
The Freight-prepaid To collect freight is the basic right of the carrier, the
freight is untouched and can't be reduced is an old maritime practice, but the provision of Contract Law had changes the situation, the risk of freight in transit should be born by the carrier, if loss of goods occurs because of force majeure, the carrier have no right to collect the freight, except as otherwise provided for in the contract.
Lien of Carrier In accordance with the Contract Law, the carrier has a lien
on the goods transported, and the ownership of subject matter have nothing to do with the lien. But in the Maritime Code, the carrier has the right of lien on the goods, which own to the debtor. The condition of carrier's lien depends on the difference of the navigating area is unreasonable. In order to secure and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the carrier, as a rule the lien on goods shouldn't be limited by the ownership of subject matter. The carrier may exercise the lien on goods by the manner of applying for seizure of the goods. But the Law of Special Proceeding of Maritime Action stipulates that the subject matter of seizure should belong to the defendant, the provision restricts the manner of exercising the right of lien, so we can draw a conclusion that the provision is not reasonable.
Alteration and Assignment of Contracts The Contract of carriage of
goods by sea usually involves the benefits of a third party. So stipulation about their alteration and assignment will indicate some different characters.
Unlawful Deviation The Article 94(4) of the Contract Law establishes the
regime of the fundamental breach of contract first time, either party refuses to perform its obligation under the contract and thus makes realization of aim of the contract impossible, this kind of illegal activities constitution the fundamental breach. So, After the Contract Law came into force, unlawful deviation should be govern by the Contract Law, whether the unlawful deviation constitutes the fundamental breach or not is not certain.
The Regime of Liability of Carrier Under the Contract Law, the carrier's
responsibilities had changed to the certain degree, whether the carrier should liable for the loss of or damage to the goods, as well as from delay of delivery or not, depends on the regime of liability, thi
本文首先从合同法与海上货物运输合同的关系开始，介绍两大法系合同立法与其海上货物运输合同的关系、国际公约关于海上货物运输合同的规定。然后讲述我国合同法的特点、内容等，重点讲述了我国合同法新引入的理论原则和制度，这一系列理论原则和制度反映了市场经济的要求，如平等、自愿、公平、诚实信用原则、格式合同条款、缔约过失责任、同时履行抗辩权、不安抗辩权、后履行抗辩权、债权人代位权和撤销权等等。并且介绍了我国海商法关于海上货物运输合同的规定。
本文重点论述了新《合同法》对海上货物运输合同所产生的影响中的六大问题：一、海上货物运输合同的订立问题，笔者从合同订立的基本规则着手，结合航运业务实践和不同类型的海上货物运输合同对合同的订立作出分析，并对关于格式条款的有关规定对海上货物运输合同的影响专门进行了分析。二、预付运费问题，收取运费是承运人的基本权利，运费不可触动、不得扣减是一个古老的航运惯例，但《合同法》的规定改变了这一惯例，除另有约定外，运费的风险由承运人承担，货物因不可抗力灭失的，承运人无权收取运费。三、承运人对货物的留置权问题，按照《合同法》规定，沿海货物运输承运人留置货物不以债务人所有为限，而依《海商法》，国际海上货物运输承运人只能留置债务人的货物，这是不合理的，因此，笔者建议留置权的标的物不以债务人所有为限，《海事诉讼特别程序法》第四十四条的规定限制了承运人行使货物留置权的方式，但不能改变留置权的成立要件。四、合同的变更与转让问题，本文对绝大多数情况下均会涉及到第三人利益的运输合同的变更和转让，结合海上货物运输合同的实践作法分析了《合同法》有关规定对其的影响，五、不合理绕航问题，《合同法》第九十四条第四项实质上是将根本违约作为合同解除事由加以规定，并以违约行为及其严重性作为判断标准。因此，在《合同法》下，不合理绕航不一定构成根本违约，即使不合理绕航构成根本违约，因为承运人不一定具有丧失免责或责任限
制条款的情节，也不必然导致免责与责任限制的丧失。六、承运人的责任制度问题，
承运人对货物的灭失、损害及延迟交付所造成的损失是否应承担责任，承担多少责任
取决于承运人的责任制度，仅因航线不同而使用不同的责任制度是不合理的，笔者建
议采用完全过失责任制，但不实行推定过失。
通过对上述问题的介绍和研究，笔者认为，尽快修订和完善我国海商法尤其是海
上货物运输合同部分，将是有益和必要的，这必将对我国海商立法和实践起到促进作
用。
The Contract Law of P.R.C was ratified and then came into effect on Oct.1, 1999. The principle of market exchange and many new rules were initially completely built in China. The new Contract Law adapts to the needs of the development of Chinese economy and will bring many important influences on all kinds of commercial contracts. As we know, the relation between contract and Contract of carriage of goods by sea is general law and special law. So, with the change of contract law, Contract of carriage of goods by sea will change. After the adoption of the Contract Law of China, it will, I think, deeply influence Contract of carriage of goods by sea of China.
In this thesis, what I firstly introduce is the relation between contract law and Contract of carriage of goods by sea, secondly about the relation in two legal system, namely Common law system and Civil law System, thirdly the regulations on Contract of carriage of goods by sea in international convention and routine, last is something about the Contract Law of China and Contract of carriage of goods by sea of China. Some new theories such as equality and free will, equity, good faith, standard contract, and all kinds of defenses, which adapting to the requirements of markets economy, are made out in the Contract Law.
The article will study six questions about the influence of the new Contract Law on the Contract of the carriage of goods by sea. Such as:
Formation of Contract of Carriage of Goods by Sea According to
different circumstances occurred in practice, consideration about various kinds of contracts of carriage of goods by sea is made. And the standard form's influence on those kinds of contracts is also studied here.
The Freight-prepaid To collect freight is the basic right of the carrier, the
freight is untouched and can't be reduced is an old maritime practice, but the provision of Contract Law had changes the situation, the risk of freight in transit should be born by the carrier, if loss of goods occurs because of force majeure, the carrier have no right to collect the freight, except as otherwise provided for in the contract.
Lien of Carrier In accordance with the Contract Law, the carrier has a lien
on the goods transported, and the ownership of subject matter have nothing to do with the lien. But in the Maritime Code, the carrier has the right of lien on the goods, which own to the debtor. The condition of carrier's lien depends on the difference of the navigating area is unreasonable. In order to secure and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the carrier, as a rule the lien on goods shouldn't be limited by the ownership of subject matter. The carrier may exercise the lien on goods by the manner of applying for seizure of the goods. But the Law of Special Proceeding of Maritime Action stipulates that the subject matter of seizure should belong to the defendant, the provision restricts the manner of exercising the right of lien, so we can draw a conclusion that the provision is not reasonable.
Alteration and Assignment of Contracts The Contract of carriage of
goods by sea usually involves the benefits of a third party. So stipulation about their alteration and assignment will indicate some different characters.
Unlawful Deviation The Article 94(4) of the Contract Law establishes the
regime of the fundamental breach of contract first time, either party refuses to perform its obligation under the contract and thus makes realization of aim of the contract impossible, this kind of illegal activities constitution the fundamental breach. So, After the Contract Law came into force, unlawful deviation should be govern by the Contract Law, whether the unlawful deviation constitutes the fundamental breach or not is not certain.
The Regime of Liability of Carrier Under the Contract Law, the carrier's
responsibilities had changed to the certain degree, whether the carrier should liable for the loss of or damage to the goods, as well as from delay of delivery or not, depends on the regime of liability, thi
引文
1 尹东年、郭瑜著 《海上货物运输法》 人民法院出版社 2000年9月版
2 唐德华主编 《合同法理解适用》 人民法院出版社 2000年7月版
3 李国光主编 《合同法解释与适用》(上、下册) 新华出版社 1999年4月版
4 江平主编 《中华人民共和国合同法精解》 中国政法大学出版
5 胡康生主编 《中华人民共和国合同法释义》 法律出版社 1999年4月第一版
6 王利明、崔建远著 《合同新论总则》 中国政法大学出版社 2000年3月修订版
7 史尚宽著 《民法总论》 中国政法大学出版社
8 史尚宽主编 《债法总论》 中国政法大学出版社
9 王利明著 《违约责任论》 中国政法大学出版社 1996年3月版
10 梅迪库斯著 《德国民法总论》 法律出版社
11 杨良宜、姚洪秀编著 尹东年整理 《航次租船合同与租船实务》 百家出版社 1994年版
12 威廉．台特雷著 张永坚 傅延忠等译 《海上货物索赔》(第三版) 大连海事大学出版社
13 梁慧星主编 《中国物权法研究》(下) 法律出版社 1998年6月版
14 科宾著 《科宾论合同(一卷版)》(下) 中国大百科全书出版社
15 司玉琢主编 《海商法学习问答》 人民交通出版社 1993年报1月版
16 崔建远著 《严格责任?过错责任?》 载梁慧星主编《民商法论丛》第十一卷法律出版社 1999年1月版
17 郭瑜著 《合同期间与责任期间》 载《海事审判》 1993年第三期
18 傅郁林著 《大陆法系海上货物留置权制度的功能比较分析》 载1998年《中国海事审判年刊》
19 刘宝国著 《论海运货物留置权》 载尹东年主编《当代海商法的理论与实践》 人民交通出版社 1997年4月版
20 梁慧星著 《合同法第二百八十六的权利性质及其使用》 载2000年12月1日《人民法院报》第三版
21 傅廷忠著 《论船舶绕航》 载1995年《中国海商法年刊》，大连海事大学出
版社 1995年版
22 邱靖著 《论承运人的绕航责任》 载《中国海商法协会通讯》 1997年第一期。
23 韩世远著 《论根本违约》 载梁慧星主编 《民商法论丛》 第十三卷法律出版社 2000年1月第一版
24 邱靖著 《论承运人的饶航责任》 载《中国海商法协会通讯》 1997年第一期
25 李浩著 《民事举证责任研究》 中国政法大学出版社 1993年6月第一版
26 贝勒斯著 张文显等译 《法律的原则》 中国大百科全书出版社
2 唐德华主编 《合同法理解适用》 人民法院出版社 2000年7月版
3 李国光主编 《合同法解释与适用》(上、下册) 新华出版社 1999年4月版
4 江平主编 《中华人民共和国合同法精解》 中国政法大学出版
5 胡康生主编 《中华人民共和国合同法释义》 法律出版社 1999年4月第一版
6 王利明、崔建远著 《合同新论总则》 中国政法大学出版社 2000年3月修订版
7 史尚宽著 《民法总论》 中国政法大学出版社
8 史尚宽主编 《债法总论》 中国政法大学出版社
9 王利明著 《违约责任论》 中国政法大学出版社 1996年3月版
10 梅迪库斯著 《德国民法总论》 法律出版社
11 杨良宜、姚洪秀编著 尹东年整理 《航次租船合同与租船实务》 百家出版社 1994年版
12 威廉．台特雷著 张永坚 傅延忠等译 《海上货物索赔》(第三版) 大连海事大学出版社
13 梁慧星主编 《中国物权法研究》(下) 法律出版社 1998年6月版
14 科宾著 《科宾论合同(一卷版)》(下) 中国大百科全书出版社
15 司玉琢主编 《海商法学习问答》 人民交通出版社 1993年报1月版
16 崔建远著 《严格责任?过错责任?》 载梁慧星主编《民商法论丛》第十一卷法律出版社 1999年1月版
17 郭瑜著 《合同期间与责任期间》 载《海事审判》 1993年第三期
18 傅郁林著 《大陆法系海上货物留置权制度的功能比较分析》 载1998年《中国海事审判年刊》
19 刘宝国著 《论海运货物留置权》 载尹东年主编《当代海商法的理论与实践》 人民交通出版社 1997年4月版
20 梁慧星著 《合同法第二百八十六的权利性质及其使用》 载2000年12月1日《人民法院报》第三版
21 傅廷忠著 《论船舶绕航》 载1995年《中国海商法年刊》，大连海事大学出
版社 1995年版
22 邱靖著 《论承运人的绕航责任》 载《中国海商法协会通讯》 1997年第一期。
23 韩世远著 《论根本违约》 载梁慧星主编 《民商法论丛》 第十三卷法律出版社 2000年1月第一版
24 邱靖著 《论承运人的饶航责任》 载《中国海商法协会通讯》 1997年第一期
25 李浩著 《民事举证责任研究》 中国政法大学出版社 1993年6月第一版
26 贝勒斯著 张文显等译 《法律的原则》 中国大百科全书出版社