Description

About the Seminar

The straight bill of lading names the intended receiver in the consignee box. As such, the bill of lading is transferable, but only once, and only by the shipper to the named consignee. This crucial difference with negotiable order and bearer bills of lading triggers a number of questions: is this really  still a bill of lading? Do the Hague and Hague-Visby Rules regulate straight bill of lading contracts? What is position of consignee/bill of lading holder (and his rights of suit)? Does the presentation rule apply? To which extent is the straight bill of lading a document of title? These are some of the  issues that the speaker will discuss at the seminar.

About the Speaker

Dr Michiel Spanjaart was a Post-doctoral Fellow at NUS from August 2013 to July 2015 and taught an intensive elective course on Multimodal Transport Law as a Visiting Professor in 2018. He obtained his LLB at the University of Utrecht in 1996 and his PhD at the Erasmus University,  Rotterdam, in 2012. His thesis, Vorderingsrechten uit cognossement (‘Title to sue under bills of lading’), was published by Paris Uitgeverij in 2012, and his book, Multimodal Transport Law, was published by Routledge in 2017. Dr Spanjaart teaches maritime law at the Erasmus University and at the University of Leuven. He is an advocate and founding partner at Trains & Co in Rotterdam. He was previously a partner with Kneppelhout &  Korthals Advocaten, Padberg Spanjaart Advocaten and DLA Piper. His practice areas include trade, transport, and insurance law.