Sri Lanka Shippers Council commends ICC Transport Guideline

Jun 22, 2016 (LBO) -  Sri Lanka Shippers Council, an affiliated body of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce,  welcomes the International Chamber of Commerce Global Guide on transport and the Incoterms 2010 Rules.

"This latest guide by the ICC will help strengthen the Gazette Extraordinary 1847/53 issued by the government of Sri Lanka in 2014 to protect shippers from unfair trade practices of service providers," Sean Van Dort, chairman of the council said.

“This guide line will provide all  transporters and shippers a clear understanding and clarify multiple issues arising in the interrelation of contracts of carriage and the Incoterms 2010 rules in contracts for the sales of goods, and help shippers address the complex steps of today's logistics chains." However, even now a few of the service providers are lobbying with the government to override the year 2014 gazette notification, Van Dort said adding that the practice is not healthy for the sustainability of exporters and importers. “Even after this land mark legislation was introduced a few vested interests are still trying to override the gazette by using their political connections to ensure they could return to the old way of making ill-gotten wealth at the expenses of the exporters and importers,” he said. But he says with the latest ICC publication, which clearly specifies international transportation guidelines, service providers will have to abide by those rules in order to ensure ethical behaviour. This book is a must have for all transporters /shippers and those in the logistic sector, as it covers each of the 11 rules reflecting on both types of sales, when the buyer contracts for carriage and when the seller does so and the responsibility of the transport provider is clearly defined which will assist to resolve any misunderstandings in the future. The clear definitions of obligations for buyer, seller and logistics provider is put to rest with these guidelines. It's also noteworthy to state that a Past Chairman of the Sri Lanka Shippers’ Council Rohan Masakorala was a part of the experts drawn by its members of the International Chamber of commerce to contribute to same.