公平原则视野下海上拖航合同当事人的权益保护

A Review on Right Protection of Parties to a Sea Towage Contract on Fairness Principle

海上拖航较高的风险导致了承拖方在拖航合同中多将本应承担的拖航责任转移给被拖方,使被拖方的权益得不到充分的保护。因为承拖方是提供服务的一方,具有较强的专业性和行业的垄断性,导致接受服务的被拖方若急于将被拖物拖至另一地进行装货或修理,在多数情况下会被迫接受承拖方关于对被拖物的拖航损失不承担任何法律责任的合同条款。这些承拖方免责的条款是否违反我国民法领域的公平原则,还是公平原则适用的一种例外,以及这些免责的条款在21世纪是否有存在的必要,都需要深入分析和定性。由于我国民事基本法律和海事特别法律没有对显失公平条款的标准进行界定,在海上拖航合同争议解决过程中产生了法律适用的不确定性。我国海事立法是否应制定一个严格的海上拖航合同显失公平条款界定标准,是我国海事司法实践和立法需要解决的法律问题。

Because of high risks of sea towage, the tug owner often transfers his duties to the tow party. The tow party has to accept the clauses of the sea towage contract, according to which the tug owner will not be responsible for the damage or loss of the object to be towed because the tug owner who provides service has a strong professional and industrial monopoly. It is not sure whether the disclaimer, the terms of the sea towage contraet can constitute a condition of grave injustice. The settlement mechanisms emerge and result in the uncertainty of the application of the law because there are not the required standards of grave injustice provisions, the clauses of the sea towage contract, which will become an urgent legal issue concerning the judicial practice and legislations of China＇s maritime law.