the travaux préparatoires hague rules hague-visby rules - Comite ...

PART I - THE HISTORY OF THE HAGUE AND HAGUE-VISBY RULES 75IV. The 1979 ProtocolWith respect to two other Conventions, viz. the Convention for the unification ofcertain rules relating to the limitation of the liability of owners of sea-going vessels andthe International Convention for the unification of certain rules of law relating to billsof lading, both signed at Brussels on August 25th, 1924, it should be pointed out thatthe first mentioned Convention has been largely superseded by the 1957 LimitationConvention, whereas the second has been amended by the 1968 Protocol, one of theessential objects of that Protocol being to provide a solution for the problems that hadarisen as a consequence of the 1924 Convention using as a monetary unit the poundsterling “to be taken to be gold value”. Under these conditions it was feared that, topresent a draft for the amending of the 1924 Conventions would not contribute to internationaluniformity. Therefore no proposal to that effect is presented.A Diplomatic Conference was then convened by the Belgian Government from 19 to21 December 1979, when the Protocol to amend the 1968 Protocol and the Protocol tothe 1957 Limitation Convention were approved, without any amendment.