Nvocc

Nvocc in Maritime Law

Note: There is more information on maritime/admiralty law here.

The following is a definition of Nvocc, produced by Tetley, in the context of admiralty law: (Non-vessel-operating common carrier) – A common carrier that does not operate the vessel by which the ocean transportation is provided, and is a shipper (see this maritime law term in this legal dictionary) in its relationship with an ocean common carrier. See Tetley, M.C.C., 4 Ed., 2008 at pp. 1705-1707, citing definition enacted at sect. 3(17) of the U.S. Shipping Act of 1984 (46 U.S. Code Appx. 1702(17)). The “non-vessel operating common carrier” and the ocean freight forwarder (see this maritime law term in this legal dictionary) were combined in the new category of ocean transportation intermediary (see this maritime law term in this legal dictionary) by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 1998, Act of October 14, 1998, Public Law no. 105-258, Title I, sect. 102, 112 Stat. 1902. See 46 U.S. Code Appx. 1702(17)(A) and (B). China has also legislated on NVOCC’s by virtue of the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on International Maritime Transport”, promulgated by Decree No. 335 by the State Council of the P.R.C. on December 11, 2001. Nota bene: Although “NVOCC”, under the above legislation, stands for “non-vessel-operating common carrier”, the acronym is also sometimes (erroneously) taken to mean “non-vessel-owning common carrier” (emphasis added). See, for example, American Maritime Cases (AMC, (see this legal term in this law dictionary)), which, in its collection of reported decisions from 1923 to the fourth quarter of 2001 on CD-ROM, includes 72 decisions where NVOCC is shown as standing for “non-vessel-operating common carrier” and 11 decisions where the acronym is explained as standing for “non-vessel-owning common carrier”. See also freight forwarder (see this maritime law term in this legal dictionary).

Nvocc in Admiralty Law

For information on nvocc in this context, see the entry on nvocc in the maritime law encyclopedia.