849954 sisus

Figure 3.1 Different approaches for studying common carriers in the IFT network
As already mentioned, the normative approach with juridical and legal interpretation
still dominates the discussion, especially in liner cargo shipping; the prevalence
of international conventions (and their sometimes blurred nature) together
with national, even local practices means that there can be plenty of potential
sources for disputes. Despite some efforts to harmonize the practices (e.g.
Standard Shipping Terms by ICC Finland as a suggestion for stipulating the responsibilities
in loading and discharging in ports), disperse means in handling
situations in different ports can cause a lot of trouble - not just for the carriers -
but also for shippers and forwarders. From normative point of view, in railtransportation
the concept of common carrier has a limited meaning: despite of some
international conventions often the domestic laws and regulations stipulate the
norms for practice. On the other hand, true internationalisation of railway companies
in Europe has not even started: e.g. there is no true cabotage traffic
partly because of substantial problems in solving questions of interoperability
smoothly. Before solving technical problems, deregulation is required as well.
176