海上運送貨物重量通知規定之探究

The Study on Notification Rules of the Cargo Weight in the Carriage of Goods by Sea

2014年IMO於SOLAS內增訂了VGM規定，並於2016年生效，各國隨之內國法化。國際上私法性質之海上貨物運送公約如海牙規則、漢堡規則及鹿特丹規則，亦有規定貨物重量之通知。SOLAS與海上貨物運送公約中對於貨物重量通知規定之背景、意義及效益究竟如何，乃本文探究之目的。本研究針對各公約規定之意涵、探討英國和日本VGM規定與我國VGM內國法化與執行現況進行分析。研究結果，我國VGM規定無罰則及誤差值之規定，英日則有百分之五VGM誤差值之規定，且有罰則規定。私法性質公約除漢堡規則外，並未強制應為貨物重量之通知，然如託運人有通知，應負擔保之責。我國海商法雖未強制託運人應為重量之通知，亦未規定託運人應負擔保之責。實務上託運人大都會通知貨物重量。VGM規定已強制貨櫃運送之託運人提供重量，此乃國際間為航行安全而設置加重託運人義務的立法趨勢，我國海商法修正或可考量此一立法趨勢。 The SOLAS VGM Regulation was adopted by the IMO in November of 2014, and had entered into force in 2016. According to the SOLAS VGM Regulation, countries ratify their domestic laws accordingly. However, international conventions on the carriage of goods by sea, such as the Hague Rules, the Hamburg Rules and the Rotterdam Rules, also regulate the notice of the weight of goods. The purpose of this article is to explore the background, significance and benefits of the notification rule of the cargo weight. This study analyzes the meaning of the provisions of the conventions, discusses the VGM Regulations of the United Kingdom and Japan, and the current situation of the legalization and implementation of VGM in Taiwan. The study found that in the private international law did not enforce notification of the weight of the goods, except for the Hamburg rules. However, The shipper shall be deemed to have guaranteed the accuracy of the weight, and indemnify the carrier against all damages resulting from inaccuracies. The purpose of the SOLAS VGM Regulation is to ensure that the mass declared is a true reflection of the gross mass of the packed container, in order to avoid injury, cargo damage, loss of containers, and so on. In addition, the UK and Japan have a rule of measurement error shall be within ±5% of the actual weight and if violated, there will be a penalty. However, to increase the shipper , s duties is the international legislative trend. Legislators may consider this legislative trend to amend our country , s Maritime Law.