无人船运输的转承责任研究——兼论《海商法》的修改

Study on Vicarious Liability of Unmanned Ship Carriage——With a Discussion of the Revision of China Maritime Code

无人船时代的到来,意味着海上货物运输法的适用面临新的挑战。借助转承责任理论,将受雇型远程控制人视为船舶所有人,其地位和责任与国际海上货物运输公约及《海商法》第四章下承运人的受雇人无异。承运人作为雇主,应承担转承责任。视独立型远程控制人为独立合同人,在《海商法》修改时将独立合同人纳入承运人的责任体系中,使独立型远程控制人能享受到承运人的抗辩与责任限制的权利。自主航行船舶中因AI航行系统缺陷导致的产品责任应归属于其生产者或销售者,而不属于承运人。自主航行船舶的法律人格化并非一个不切实际的幻想,转承责任将为这一进程提供理论支持。

The advent of the era of unmanned ships means that the application of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Law will face new challenges.With the help of the theory of vicarious liability,the employed remote controller is regarded as the personnel of the shipowner,and its status and responsibilities are the same as the servant under the international conventions on the carriage of goods by sea and Chapter IV of China Maritime Code.The carrier shall bear the vicarious liability as an employer.The independent remote controller is regarded as an independent contractor,and the independent contractor should be included in the carrier's liability system in the revision of China Maritime Code,so that the independent remote controller can enjoy the carrier's defense and limitation.The product liability caused by defects of AI navigation system in the autonomous unmanned ship should be assumed by its producer or seller,but not by the carrier.The legal personification of autonomous unmanned ships is not an unrealistic fantasy,and the theory of vicarious liability will provide theoretical support for this process.