The Documentary Scope of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Articles Under the Qatari Maritime Law and International conventions

Abstract

The contract of carriage of goods by sea is regulated under the Qatari Maritime Law No. 15 of 1980 in Articles 143–167. From these articles, it is inferred that they are only applicable to contract of carriage evidenced by a bill of lading. Thus, the documentary scope of the rules is very limited in a sense that it is inoperative on other types of documents evidencing the contract of carriage. The objective of this paper is to show whether the trend of the Qatari legislature in such regard is made in line with the international conventions pertaining to the carriage of goods by sea. The documentary scope of the QML is inconsistent with the international move toward widening the documentary scope to cover all documents made in connection with a contract of carriage, regardless of its type.