For information only – not an official document
UNIS/L/384
5 August 2025
VIENNA, 5 August (UN Information Service) – Ecuador deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea, 1978, commonly known as the "Hamburg Rules", at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 31 July 2025. Ecuador becomes the thirty-sixth State party to the Convention, which will enter into force for Ecuador on 1 August 2026.
The Hamburg Rules establish a uniform legal regime governing the rights and obligations of shippers, carriers and consignees under a contract of carriage of goods by sea. A draft of the Hamburg Rules was prepared by UNCITRAL at the request of developing countries. The Hamburg Rules were finalized and adopted by a diplomatic conference on 31 March 1978.
The adoption of the Hamburg Rules by States has been endorsed by such intergovernmental organizations as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee (AALCO).
Further information on the Convention is available on the UNCITRAL website: https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/transportgoods/conventions/hamburg_rules.
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The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body of the United Nations system in the field of international trade law. Its mandate is to remove legal obstacles to international trade by progressively modernizing and harmonizing trade law. It prepares legal texts in a number of key areas such as international commercial dispute settlement, electronic commerce, insolvency, international payments, sale of goods, transport law, procurement and infrastructure development.
UNCITRAL also provides technical assistance to law reform activities, including assisting Member States to review and assess their law reform needs and to draft the legislation required to implement UNCITRAL texts. The UNCITRAL secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria. For more information, visit: uncitral.un.org.
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For information, please contact:
Neale Bergman
Senior Legal Officer
UNCITRAL secretariat
Email: neale.bergman[at]un.org
Spain has ratified the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships, also known as the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”.
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