大宗进口贸易,cif/cfr划归通知或付运宣告(notice of appropriation)条款解读 -pg电子试玩网站免费
区别于普通产品,大宗商品具有相对低价、统一标准、可替代等特征。
因为该可替代性,如卖方一直不告知货物情况,买方可能要等到货物到目的港才知道货物真实情况,这样买方就无法“锁货”,卖方也有可能依据市场变化而获得取巧的机会。
基于此,cif或cfr大宗商品买卖合约中,买卖双方之间需要一份文件能尽早明确采购的标的物,这份文件就是“划归通知或付运宣告(notice of appropriation)”。
一,种类物与特定物
按照民法理论(如:民法典第580条),种类物与特定物有较大差异,如在对当事人约束力、交付风险转移等方面。
特定物是独一无二的,具有不可替代性,特定物灭失以后这个世界上再无该物,构成事实上的给付不能,原给付请求权丧失;
种类物,原则上无给付不能可言,即使发生毁损灭失,债务人有重新获取同种类物履行合同的义务。
具体到大宗贸易中,卖方将大宗商品交付给买方之前,大宗商品属于种类物,而非特定物。
法律角度,交付有多种方式。划归通知,是交付方式之一。
二,划归通知/付运宣告
2.1 划归通知相关条款及法律含义
cif或cfr大宗商品进口贸易中, 买卖合约要求卖方作出“划归通知或付运宣告(notice of appropriation)”,此类条款如:five working days after the depature from the loading port, the master of vessel shall notify the seller and the buyer or its authorized agent at the discharging port that a) name and quantity of products shipped; b)number of bill of lading and its date; c) flag of ship;d) estimated date of arrival at the discharging port.
还有类似功能的卖方向买方发出的独立文件,如装运通知(notice of shippment),内容也包括提单、商品名称与数量、转运港和卸货港口等信息。
基于买卖合约,卖方承担付运责任,其有义务或责任向买方明确买方所采购的货物在哪一艘船上。如卖方如不通知,则买方将无从知晓货物信息、装船信息等卖方履约的内容。
卖方向买方发出划归通知或付运宣告(notice of appropriation)或装运通知后,船上的大宗商品即从种类物变成了特定物,产生了贸易商所称的“锁货”(locking the goods into the contract)的效果。
正如《benjamin’s sale of goods》(8thedn, 2010年)之19-015段所说:“where the contract is for the sale of unascertained goods, the seller is bound to appropriate goods of the contract description to the contract. ‘appropriation’ is used in several senses. here we are not concerned with the ‘proprietary’ sense of the word (i.e. with the ‘unconditional appropriation’ which is required to pass the property in goods), but with its ‘contractual’ sense, i.e. with the appropriation by which a seller of unascertained goods binds himself contractually to deliver particular goods (or goods from a specified source), or the documents representing them.”
法律角度看,一般情况下,将货物发送或移交(而非物权法上的交付)给第一承运人,特定化即完成。
2.2 划归通知的必要性
前面提到,大宗商品进口贸易中,如果卖方不及时将采购标的物特定化,对买方来说,可能会导致买方利益损失,卖方也可能因此投机取巧。
1)买方角度看,一方面,其有权及时知晓所采购货物的相关信息;另一方面,如果买方自己不是这票付运货物的最后收货人,而是准备转售,他就必须尽早知道有关的货物付运后是装在哪一艘船舶上,才能去把这一票“浮动货物”(floating cargo)转售或向已经订立买卖合约的分买方作出划归通知。
尤其是在”多手转卖”中,一艘特定船舶上的货物是在作出划归通知以后才能串起来。
2)卖方角度,市场一直在变化,各地(国)的价格浮动剧烈,相同的商品装上两艘船,本来是要发运至a和b国买方,可是,a国商品涨价剧烈,a国买方愿意加价扩大采购量,在卖方向b国买方发出划归通知前,卖方完全可能指令船舶改道去a国,并告知b国买方暂时无货可供应或拖延供应时间。
三,划归通知的内容与期限
首先,在cif或cfr买卖合约中,就卖方发出划归通知的时间,法律无明确规定,尊重契约自由。
需要说明的是,一旦合约有约定,当合约适用英国法时,此类条款被认定为“条件条款”的可能性较大。违反条件条文的法律后果是,非违约方有权解约,并要求违约方赔偿损失。
其次,大宗进出口实务中,我们从一些国际知名的大宗商品合同范本中提取相关条款,展示该划归通知内容。
3.1 依据“谷物及饲料贸易协会gafta(谷物及饲料贸易协会)”,也即gafta100第14条提供合约范本规定了划归通知的内容以及必须作出的最后期限,具体:
“(a) notice of appropriation shall state the vessel’s name, the approximate weight shipped, and the date or the presumed date of the bill of lading.
(b) the notice of appropriation shall within (i) ten (10) consecutive days if shipped from the us gulf and/or us, and/or canadian atlantic/lake ports, (ii) 14 consecutive days if shipped from other port, from the date of bill of lading be served by or on behalf of the shipper direct on his buyers or on the selling agent or brokers named in the contract…”
3.2 依据国际油、油籽和油脂协会(fosfa)提供的合同范本,也即,fosfa 24(针对美国/加拿大大豆的cif买卖),其中第11条名为付运宣告的条文是如下:
notice stating ship’s name, date of bill of lading and approximate quantity shipped shall be despatched by first sellers to their buyers not later than 7 days after the date of the bill of lading.notices by intermediate sellers(中间商) shall be accepted by their buyers although received by them after such time, if from the 7th day after the date of bill of lading such notice shall been passed on with due despatch。(第一卖方应在提单日期后 7 天内将载明船名、提单日期和大致装运数量的通知发送给买方。如果从提单日期后第 7 天起划归通知被及时发出,则中间卖方的通知应被其买方接受,即使买方在该时间之后收到通知。)
the date of the ‘on board’ bill of lading shall be considered proof of the date of shipment in the absence of conclusive evidence to the contrary. notice shall be deemed to be under reserve for errors and/or delays in transmission. any slight variation in the ship’s name shall not invalidate the declaration.
a valid declaration cannot be withdrawn except with the buyer’s consent.
should the ship arrive before receipt of declaration of shipment and extra expenses be incurred, such expenses are to be paid by sellers.
the provision of this clause to be inoperative if the goods have been sold afloat.
presentation of documents does not constitute a notice under the terms of this clause.”
注意:gafta/fosfa针对的是干散货,比较关注的是付运日期/提单日期,而非货物到达卸港的日期。
四,划归通知的撤销
需要提醒注意的是,买卖合约应清楚约定,划归通知一旦发出,未经买方同意不得撤销。如:a valid notice cannot be withdrawn except with the buyer’s consent.
注意本句话说的是“valid notice",也即是,如是“有效的通知”不可撤销,无效的划归通知,则可能例外。也即是说,如果是第一份划归通知是无效的,卖方有权另外发一份通知。
举例说,卖方第一份划归通知说货物装上m船上,提单号码是abcdef。
实际上,货物不在m船上,在n船上,卖方发出第二份划归通知说货物提单号码是abfedc,货物装在n船上。
此种情况下,如买方据此主张卖方违约,可能就得不到法院或仲裁庭的支持。