RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.1
17January 1995
ORGANIZATION
(95-0041)
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services Original: French
COMMUNICATION FROM SWITZERLAND
Response toQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
Thefollowing communication iscirculated attherequest ofSwitzerland tomembers ofthe
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services.
_______________
I. Market structure
Vessels
1. The"Lloyds Maritime Directory 1994" describes thestructure ofthefleetmanaged by
enterprises resident inSwitzerland. According tothisinformation, approximately 220vessels
aremanaged byenterprises resident inSwitzerland, representing around 7million dwt. One
thirdofthesevessels areliquid bulkcarriers, another thirdaredrybulkcarriers. Theremainder
arecontainer ships, Ro-Ro ships andother vessels.
Trade
2. Noanswer ispossible asthisinformation cannot beprovided inSwitzerland because there is
nomaritime portandnoreliable information ontheshare ofSwiss international trade carried
bysea.
3. Noanswer ispossible asthisinformation cannot beprovided inSwitzerland because there is
nomaritime portandnoreliable information ontheshare ofSwiss imports andexports intotal
international trade carried bysea.
4. Weestimate thatSwiss-flag vessels carry 1percentoftotalinternational trade carried bysea.
5. Noanswer ispossible asthisservice cannot besupplied inSwitzerland because ithasnosea
coast.
Organization ofcargo
6. Liner services: None because Swiss vessels donotsupply linerservices.
Drybulkshipping: Noanswer ispossible asthese figures arenotavailable inSwitzerland.
Liquid bulkshipping: Noanswer ispossible asthese figures arenotavailable inSwitzerland.
7. None because Swiss vessels donotsupply linerservices.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.1
Page2
8. None because Swiss vessels donotsupply linerservices.
9. None because Switzerland hasnotconcluded bilateral agreements onmaritime transport.
10. None because Swiss vessels donotsupply linerservices.
11. None because Swiss vessels donotsupply linerservices.
Ports andauxiliary services
12. None because thisservice cannot besupplied inSwitzerland asthere isnomaritime port.
13. None because thisservice cannot besupplied inSwitzerland asthere isnomaritime port.
14. None because thisservice cannot besupplied inSwitzerland asthere isnomaritime port.
II. Regulatory structure
General
1. TheSwiss Shipping Office isthecompetent authority formatters related tomaritime shipping.
2. Switzerland doesnothaveanyregulations onbulkshipping.
3. Switzerland doesnothaveanyregulations onlinershipping.
4. None because Switzerland doesnothaveanyregulations onmultimodal transport asthere is
nomaritime port.
5. None because thisservice isnotsupplied inSwitzerland asthere isnomaritime port.
6. Asthere isnoportorseacoast, Switzerland defines allmaritime transport as"international
maritime transport".
7. InSwitzerland,a"nationalshippingenterprise"isaSwisscompanymanagingSwiss-flagvessels.
Market access
8. None because Switzerland hasnonational maritime transport asithasnoportorseacoast.
9. No
10. Yes: inorder toflytheSwiss flag,vessels mustbelong 100percenttoSwiss citizens, three
quarters ofwhom must reside inSwitzerland.
11. (a) No
(b) No
(c) Inorder toflytheSwiss flag,vessels must belong 100percenttoSwiss citizens,
three quarters ofwhom must reside inSwitzerland.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.1
Page3
National treatment
12. Yes: theSwiss Confederation maygrant guarantees forthefinancing ofSwiss-flag vessels
when theyareneeded forsupplying goods toSwitzerland andcanbemade available to
Switzerland. Theloans guaranteed bytheConfederation maynotexceed, foreachvessel,
85percentoftheshipbuilding orpurchase costs together withannual interest.
Access toanduseofportfacilities
13. None because Switzerland hasnomaritime port.
14. None because Switzerland hasnomaritime port.
15. None because Switzerland hasnomaritime port.
16. None because Switzerland hasnomaritime port.
17. None because Switzerland hasnomaritime port.
18. None because Switzerland hasnomaritime port.
19. None because Switzerland hasnomaritime port.
Most-favoured-nation treatment
20. No
21. See20
22. See20
23. No
24. No
25. Counter-measures arepossible inthecontext ofgeneral foreign trade policy subject toour
international obligations.1
26. No
Government procurement
27. No
28. No
Competition law
29. Thelawsandregulations oncompetition andtheanti-trust lawsandregulations apply without
restriction tothemaritime transport sector.
1Foradditionalinformation,see"TradePolicyReviewMechanism:Switzerland",
document C/RM/G/17 (GATT) of23August 1991, pp.28-29.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.1
Page4
Shipping conferences
30. There arenoshipping conferences inSwitzerland.
31. See30
32. See30
33. See30
34. See30
Shipper/carrier relations
35. There arenoarrangements concerning therelations between shippers andcarriers.
36. Therearenorequirementsregardingfreightratenegotiations,consultationonmattersofcommon
interest orthesettlement ofdisputes. TheGovernment doesnotplayanyrole.