The Rotterdam rules. Prelude or premonition?

Abstract

This article is aimed to offer a general and preliminary analysis of the Rotterdam Rules from a critical perspective outlining both their impact on the maritime regulation itself and their multimodal reach. The article must be read in the context of a opposition movement to the Rotterdam Rules born after the signature of this Convention in September 2009 and which has gathered around a number of leading shipping experts, both academic and practitioners, from all over the world, anticipating a debate which will surely benefit the future regulation of maritime and multimodal transport in the international arena.