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Text of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement – Chapter fourteen: International maritime transport services

Article 14.1 – Definitions

For the purposes of this Chapter:

customs clearance services or customs house brokers' services means the carrying out, on a fee or contract basis, of customs formalities concerning import, export or through transport of cargo, irrespective of whether these services are the main or secondary activity of the service provider;

container station and depot services means the storage, stuffing, stripping or repair of containers and making them available for shipment, whether in port areas or inland;

door-to-door or multimodal transport operation means the transport of cargo under a single transport document, that uses more than one mode of transport and involves an international sea-leg;

feeder services means the pre- and onward transportation by sea of international cargo, including containerised, break bulk and dry or liquid bulk cargo, between ports located in the territory of a Party. For greater certainty, in respect of Canada, feeder services may include transportation between sea and inland waters, where inland waters means those defined in the Customs Act, R.S.C. 1985, c.1 (2nd Supp.);

international cargo means cargo transported by sea-going vessels between a port of a Party and a port of the other Party or of a third country, or between a port of one Member State of the European Union and a port of another Member State of the European Union;

international maritime transport services means the transport of passengers or cargo by a sea-going vessel between a port of one Party and a port of the other Party or of a third country, or between a port of one Member State of the European Union and a port of another Member State of the European Union, as well as direct contracting with suppliers of other transport services to ensure door-to-door or multimodal transport operations, but not the supply of such other transport services;

international maritime transport service suppliers means:

  1. an enterprise of a Party, as defined in Article 1.1 (Definitions of general application), and a branch of any such entity; or
  2. an enterprise, as defined in Article 1.1 (Definitions of general application), of a third country owned or controlled by nationals of a Party, if its vessels are registered in accordance with the legislation of that Party and flying the flag of that Party; or
  3. a branch of an enterprise of a third country with substantive business operations in the territory of a Party, that is engaged in the supply of international maritime transport services. For greater certainty, Chapter Eight (Investment) does not apply to such a branch;

maritime agency services means the representation, as an agent, within a given geographic area, of the business interests of one or more shipping lines or shipping companies, for the following purposes:

  1. marketing and sales of maritime transport and related services, from quotation to invoicing, issuance of bills of lading on behalf of the companies, acquisition and resale of the necessary related services, preparation of documentation, and provision of business information; and
  2. acting on behalf of the companies in organising the call of the vessel or taking control of cargo when required;

maritime auxiliary services means maritime cargo handling services, customs clearance services, container station and depot services, maritime agency services, maritime freight forwarding services, and storage and warehousing services;

maritime cargo handling services means the performance, organisation and supervision of:

  1. the loading or discharging of cargo to or from a vessel,
  2. the lashing or unlashing of cargo, and
  3. the reception or delivery and safekeeping of cargo before shipment or after discharge,

by stevedoring or terminal operator companies, but does not include work performed by dock labour, when this workforce is organised independently of stevedoring or terminal operator companies;

maritime freight forwarding services means the organisation and monitoring of shipments on behalf of shippers, through the supply of such services as the arrangement of transport and related services, consolidation and packing of cargo, preparation of documentation and provision of business information;

storage and warehousing services means storage services of frozen or refrigerated goods, bulk storage services of liquids or gases, and other storage or warehousing services.

Article 14.2 – Scope

1. This Chapter applies to a measure adopted or maintained by a Party relating to the supply of international maritime transport services.Footnote 1 For greater certainty, such measure is also subject to Chapters Eight (Investment) and Nine (Cross-Border Trade in Services), as applicable.

2. For greater certainty, further to Articles 8.6 (National treatment), 8.7 (Most-favoured-nation treatment), 9.3 (National treatment), and 9.5 (Most-favoured-nation treatment), a Party shall not adopt or maintain a measure in respect of:

  1. a vessel supplying an international maritime transport service and flying the flag of the other Party;Footnote 2 or
  2. an international maritime transport service supplier of the other Party,

that accords treatment that is less favourable than that accorded by that Party in like situations to its own vessels or international maritime transport service suppliers or to vessels or international maritime transport service suppliers of a third country with regard to:

  1. access to ports;
  2. the use of infrastructure and services of ports such as towage and pilotage;
  3. the use of maritime auxiliary services as well as the imposition of related fees and charges;
  4. access to customs facilities; or
  5. the assignment of berths and facilities for loading and unloading.Footnote 3

Article 14.3 – Obligations

1. Each Party shall permit the international maritime transport service suppliers of the other Party to re-position owned or leased empty containers that are carried on a non-revenue basis between the ports of that Party.

2. A Party shall permit the international maritime transport service suppliers of the other Party to supply feeder services between the ports of that Party.

3. A Party shall not adopt or maintain a cargo-sharing arrangement with a third country concerning any international maritime transport services, including dry and liquid bulk and liner trades.

4. A Party shall not adopt or maintain a measure that requires all or part of any international cargo to be transported exclusively by vessels registered in that Party or owned or controlled by nationals of that Party.

5. A Party shall not adopt or maintain a measure that prevents international maritime transport service suppliers of the other Party from directly contracting with other transport service suppliers for door-to-door or multimodal transport operations.

Article 14.4 – Reservations

1. Article 14.3 does not apply to:

  1. an existing non-conforming measure that is maintained by a Party at the level of:
    1. the European Union, as set out in its Schedule to Annex I;
    2. a national government, as set out by that Party in its Schedule to Annex I;
    3. a provincial, territorial or regional government, as set out by that Party in its Schedule to Annex I; or
    4. a local government;
  2. the continuation or prompt renewal of a non-conforming measure referred to in subparagraph (a); or
  3. an amendment to a non-conforming measure referred to in subparagraph (a) to the extent that the amendment does not decrease the conformity of the measure, as it existed immediately before the amendment, with Article 14.3.

2. Article 14.3 does not apply to a measure that a Party adopts or maintains with respect to sectors, subsectors or activities, as set out in its Schedule to Annex II.

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