International Maritime Law from the Russian Perspective

Abstract

This book is one of the most comprehensive guides to international maritime law from the Russian perspective. It consists of three relatively independent sections: Russian Maritime Law, International Public Maritime Law, and International Private Maritime Law.

First section discusses the development of the maritime law as a branch of the Russian law. It examines concepts and sources of the Russian federal laws, secondary legislation and customs, including the influences guiding the future of Russian law of the sea. .

The second section examines International Public Maritime Law including the principles, sources, subjects, as well legal status of the vessel, including the vessel's state flag, her name, state registration, the problem of "flags of convenience", vessel's documents, the crew, and the master. This section further details the current international legal regime of maritime spaces, provisions concerning legal protection of marine environments, ensuring navigation safety, international legal regulation of the work of seamen, international inter-governmental marine organizations, and settlement of international public marine disputes.

The third section is devoted to International Private Maritime Law and discusses its principles and sources, conflict-of-law rules, structure and types, and the main choice-of-law principles used today in international private maritime law. This section also discusses the following institutions and sub-branches within international private maritime law including: carriage of cargoes and passengers by sea, general average, salvage, collisions of vessels, marine insurance, limitation of liability, international non-governmental maritime organizations, and settlement of international private marine disputes.

WORDS OF PRAISE

The importance of this book by Vasiliy N. Gutsulyak can hardly be overestimated. The need for publishing such a book is evident, as it has been long awaited. Suffice it to say that no fundamental work on the maritime law has been published for over the last decade, where such an extensive doctrinal and regulatory material practically on all the range of problems relating to use of sea transport and world oceans, would have been studied and summarized.In fact, not one serious question of the current maritime law remained outside the author's attention. In this respect, his work is just an encyclopedic one. The author prepared a unified and complex monographic work, which reflects the current state of the Russian and international maritme law, with due regard to substantial changes in the Russian legislation and the last innovations in international law.

This book is bound to contribute to further development of the science of international maritime law, and, with no doubt, will be in demand both in educational process and in the practical activity related to shipping.
G.G. Shinkaretskaya, Doctor of legal sciences, Professor, Principal Researcher in the Branch of International Legal Researches of the Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

This comprehensive book will definitely be required in learning both Russian and international laws. The work is methodically consistent and well-structured. It is written in a good, intelligible language. In this connection, it can be affirmed that the presented book is well-adapted for educational technologies. I believe, the book will be interesting not only to practical experts and students, but to all those who have a concern in the modern law of the sea.
G.G. Ivanov, Doctor of legal sciences, Professor

About the Author

Vasiliy Gutsulyak is a doctor of legal sciences and professor, an Honorary Worker of Sea Fleet, and has worked in field of Maritime law for most of his career. He has a both a nautical (navigation) and legal education, and has published over one hundred papers in the field of Maritime law. He currently lives in Moscow.