中国海事仲裁委员会简介

　　中国海事仲裁委员会是根据中华人民共和国国务院1958年11月21日的决定，于1959年1月22日设立于中国国际贸易促进委员会内受理国内外海事争议案件的常设仲裁机构。设立时名为中国国际贸易促进委员会海事仲裁委员会。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会以仲裁的方式，独立、公正地解决海事、海商、物流争议以及其他契约性或非契约性争议，以保护当事人的合法权益，促进国际国内贸易和物流的发展。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会自成立以来的几十年里，坚持以事实为根据、以法律为准绳、参考国际惯例、尊重合同约定、独立公正地解决海事争议的原则，审理了大量的案件，有力地维护了中外当事人的正当权益。其裁决的公正性得到了国内外的肯定，在国内外的航运、保险、贸易、法律等各界赢得了信誉，大大推动了中国与世界其他国家和地区之间的经贸往来及海上事业的迅速发展。

　　中国是1958年《承认及执行外国仲裁裁决公约》的缔约国。据此，中国海事仲裁委员会作出的涉外仲裁裁决可以在世界上一百多个上述公约的成员国得到承认和执行，为当事人强制执行仲裁裁决免除了后顾之忧。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会由主任一人、副主任若干人和委员若干人组成。委员由中国国际贸易促进委员会(中国国际商会)聘请中国立法、司法、航运、保险等有关部门的专家、学者和知名人士担任。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会下设秘书处，在秘书长的领导下，按照《仲裁规则》和《秘书处人员工作细则》的规定，负责处理仲裁委员会的日常事务。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会设立仲裁员名册，供当事人选择指定仲裁员。中国海事仲裁委员会的仲裁员由中国国际贸易促进委员会(中国国际商会)从具有航运、保险、物流、法律等方面专业知识和实践经验的中外知名人士中聘任。除了法律专业之外，仲裁员的专业范围涉及到海上货物运输、海上保险、船舶租赁、船舶买卖、船舶修理、船舶建造、船舶检验、船舶代理、航海技术、轮机工程、港务监督、港口管理、引航技术、海洋环境保护、船舶碰撞、救助、打捞、拖带、海损理算、物流等领域，为保证公正地审理各种类型的案件提供了坚实的基础。

　　为配合国家将上海建设成为国际航运中心的战略，方便航运当事人就近解决争议，2003年1月7日，中国海事仲裁委员会上海分会正式在上海挂牌。海仲上海分会可以独立受案和办案，这将极大地方便上海及周边地区的当事人参加仲裁，减少他们的时间和资金成本。此外，海仲还在天津、大连、宁波和广州几个主要的港口城市建立了办事处，初步形成了海事仲裁的网络。办事处的主要任务是从事海事仲裁的宣传推广和咨询工作，协助仲裁委员会在当地安排开庭。办事处不直接受理和办理案件。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会渔业争议案件的特别规定于2003年5月8日起实施。该特别规定出台的背景是：渔业争议大多标的小；大部分通过渔政渔港监督管理部门行政调解解决，但由于行政调解没有强制执行力，行政调解结果履行率较低；跨海区的渔业争议，由于争议双方对对方所在地的渔政渔港监督管理部门不信任，往往争议久拖不决。渔业争议案件的特别规定适用于渔业海上交通事故赔偿纠纷，渔业捕捞和养殖纠纷，网具纠纷，渔船建造、修理、买卖、保险、租赁、抵押贷款纠纷，浅海滩涂承包、经营纠纷等渔业争议。

　　随着现代运输方式的发展，传统的港到港运输已逐步被门到门运输所取代。传统的海运企业、货运企业纷纷成立物流公司，从过去单纯提供海运服务扩大到提供全方位的物流服务。在此背景下，中国海事仲裁委员会传统的受案范围已不能适应上述形势变化。物流企业需要一个集中管辖海陆空运输及物流各个环节争议的专业的、权威的机构，以便于物流争议的解决，降低争议解决成本。故中国海事仲裁委员会积极适应现代物流发展的需要，由提供单纯的海事仲裁服务的机构转变为提供海、陆、空运输仲裁及其他物流仲裁服务的专业性仲裁机构。

　　经中国国际商会批准，中国海事仲裁委员会物流争议解决中心于2004年2月1日在北京正式成立，这是一家由物流专家、技术专家和法律专家组成的专门处理物流争议的专业机构，受案范围包括国际国内各种类型的物流或与物流有关的一切争议。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会具有四十多年海事海商领域的专业仲裁经验，拥有雄厚的人才储备，他们既懂得物流业务和技术，又熟悉法律、法规和行业惯例，是处理物流争议的理想场所。用仲裁的方式由专业人士解决相关纠纷，具有权威性、灵活性、裁决执行便利性等优越性，又可为当事人节省费用和时间。而且，由于物流所涉领域甚广，既包括海上、陆上及空中运输，又包括仓储、装卸、加工、信息、代理、保险等，导致物流争议的管辖权分散，加之物流本身专业性强，又属于新兴产业，这种现状很不利于物流争议的妥善解决。中国海事仲裁委员会成立物流争议解决中心对其集中管辖，可以有效避免这种管辖权的不确定性、裁判结果的不确定性以及不必要的程序延误，便利当事人一揽子解决物流纠纷。

　　中国海事仲裁委员会物流争议解决中心有权受理海运，陆运(公路、铁路)，空运，多式联运，集装箱的运输、拼箱、拆箱，快递，仓储，加工，配送，仓储分拨，代理，物流信息管理，运输、搬运、装卸工具、仓储设施、物流中心、陪送中心的建造、买卖或租赁，物流方案设计与咨询，与物流有关的保险，与物流服务有关的侵权争议，以及其它与物流有关的争议。

　　物流合同各方只要在其合同中载入有效的仲裁条款，或者在发生争议后签订单独的仲裁协议，约定将争议提交中国海事仲裁委员会仲裁或中国海事仲裁委员会物流争议解决中心仲裁，即产生选择由中国海事仲裁委员会管辖的法律效力。

　　A Brief Introduction to China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC)

　　China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC), established within the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade on January 22nd 1959 in accordance with the Decision made by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, is a permanent arbitration organization, taking cognizance of domestic and international cases involving maritime disputes. It was formerly known as Maritime Arbitration Commission of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

　　With a view to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the parties concerned, CMAC independently and impartially resolves, by means of arbitration, contractual and non-contractual maritime disputes, which promotes the development of domestic and international trade and logistics.

　　In the past several decades since its establishment, CMAC has been sticking to the principle of independently and impartially making its awards on the basis of the facts, in accordance with the law and the terms of the contracts, with reference to international practice and in compliance with the principle of fairness and reasonableness. CMAC has heard a great number of cases and effectively protected the lawful rights and interests of both Chinese and foreign parties. The impartiality of CMAC has won the Commission good reputation both at home and abroad in the fields of shipping, insurance, trade and law, thus giving a great impetus to the development of international trade and the shipping industries between China and other countries and regions in the world.

　　Since China has acceded to the Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitration Awards 1958, the foreign-related arbitral awards made by CMAC can be recognized and enforced in more than one hundred member states of the Convention, which dispels the partys’worry about the enforcement of the arbitral awards.

　　CMAC is composed of one chairman, several vice-chairmen and a number of Commission members. The Commission members are experts, scholars and noted personages selected and appointed by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade or CCPIT (China Chamber of International Commerce or CCOIC) from among the Chinese legislature, judicial organs and shipping, insurance and other departments and companies.

　　CMAC has a secretariat which, directed by the secretary general of the Commission, handles the day-to-day work in accordance with the arbitration rules and the Ethical Regulations for the Secretaries.

　　CMAC has a panel of arbitrators for the selection and appointment by the parties concerned. The arbitrators of CMAC are selected and appointed by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT/CCOIC) from among the Chinese citizens and the foreign citizens with special knowledge and practical experience in shipping, insurance, law and other fields. Besides laws, the special fields of the arbitrators covers carriage of goods by sea, maritime insurance, sale and purchasing a vessel, ship- repairing and ship-building, inspection of ship, shipping agency, navigation skill, engineering, harbor superintendence, harbor administration, pilotage, environmental protection at sea, collision between salvage of and towing vessels, raising ship wreck, average adjustment, and logistics etc., which has laid a solid foundation for ensuring impartial examination of all kinds of cases.

　　Inpuorgto actively response to the State strategy to build Shanghaiotnian international shipping center and facilitate the parties concerned for a nearby resolution, CMAC established Shanghai Sub-Commission in January 7th 2003. The Shanghai Sub-Commission is an integral part of CMAC and can independently accept and hear cases, which greatly benefits the parties in Shanghai and its surrounding areas by reducing the time and costs in settling disputes. In addition, CMAC also sets up liaison offices in major ports like Tianjin, Dalian, Ningbo and Guangzhou, thus creating a tentative network for maritime arbitration. The main task for these offices is to conduct publicity and consultation for maritime arbitration and assist arbitration commission to arrange hearing in the local area. Liaison offices of CMAC don’t directly accept and take cognizance of cases.

　　Special Provisions on Fishery Disputes Cases of CMAC became effective on May 8th 2003. Before its appearance most of the fishery disputes were conciliated through fishery regulative and administrative agencies. Due to the lack of binding force, the conciliation suffers a low performing rate. Fishery disputes that cover different sea areas were usually delayed in resolution because neither party concerned had confidence in the fishery regulative and administrative agency of the other party. CMAC Special Provisions on Fishery Disputes Cases are applied in cases relating to the disputes arising from recovery of marine traffic accident, fishing and cultivating, and fishing nets; and disputes arising from ship-building, repairing, sale, insurance, leasing, mortgage and loan of fishing vessels; and the disputes arising from the contract and management of foreland; and other disputes involving fishery.

　　With the development of modern transportation, the traditional port-to-port transportation has been gradually replaced by door-to-door transportation. The traditional shipping enterprises have been transformedotnilogistic enterprises, which provide comprehensive logistic service as opposed to pure shipping service. Against such background the traditional jurisdiction of CMAC is no longer suitable for the changing circumstances. The logistic enterprises are in need of an authoritative organization with a general jurisdiction over ocean shipping, land transportation, air transport and all the links of logistics inpuorgto facilitate the settling of logistic disputes as well as lowing its cost. Thus inpuorgto cater to the need of logistic development, CMAC is transformedotnia professional arbitration institution specializing in providing arbitration service involving such areas like ocean shipping, land transportation, air transport and logistics.

　　Under the approval of CCOIC, the Logistics Dispute Resolution Center of CMAC was established in Beijing on Feb 1st, 2004. Composed of experts of the logistics, technology and law, it is a professional organization specializing in settling the disputes concerning logistics. It accepts cases concerning all kinds of logistic disputes or logistic-related disputes at home and abroad.

　　CMAC has about 40 years of professional arbitration experience in the maritime area, and many experts who are familiar not only with the logistics affairs and technology but also with the relevant laws and regulations as well as trade customs, which makes it an ideal place to settle the logistics disputes. It is authoritative, flexible and convenient for the awards to be enforced if the relevant disputes are settled by means of arbitration conducted by experts. And the parties concerned can also save the costs and time if so doing. Furthermore, since a wide range of fields are related to logistics, including not only in ocean shipping, land transportation and air transport but also the storage, loading and discharging, processing, information, agency and insurance, etc., the jurisdiction of the logistics disputes are not centralized. In addition, because the logistics is a specialized and newborn industry, such condition is not favorable for the appropriate settlement of logistics disputes. The establishment of the Logistics Dispute Resolution Center in CMAC to ensure centralized jurisdiction of such disputes will effectively avoid the uncertainty in jurisdiction and the judgments of the awards as well as the unnecessary delay in the procedure, and facilitate a package settlement of the logistics disputes.

　　The Logistics Dispute Resolution Center of CMAC is entitled to accept all cases involving the logistics dispute, including in ocean shipping, land transportation (highway, railway) and air transport, combined transport, container transport, LCL, FCL, express service, storage, processing, allocated delivery, storage distribution, agency, management of logistics information, transportation, handling, loading and discharging equipments, production, sale or lease of the storage equipment, logistics center, and allocation center and establishment, design and consultation of the logistics plans, insurance relating to the logistics and tort in respect of the logistics service, etc.

　　The Logistics Dispute Resolution Center of CMAC will be entrusted with the jurisdiction once the parties to the logistics contract agree to include a valid arbitration clause in the contract or reach a separate arbitration agreement after the occurrence of the dispute submitting the dispute to the above-mentioned organization.