RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.37
19December 1995
ORGANIZATION
(95-4099)
Original: English Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
COMMUNICATION FROM ICELAND
Response totheQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
ThefollowingcommunicationiscirculatedattherequestofIcelandtoMembersoftheNegotiating
Group onMaritime Transport Services.
_______________
I. Market Structure
Vessels
1.
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED FLEET
Types ofVessels Number ofVessels Gross Tonnage
National Flag Foreign Flag National Flag Foreign Flag
OilTankers 1 0 2043 0
Liquified GasCarriers 0 0 0 0
Chemical Tankers 1 0 0 0
Combination Carriers 0 0 0 0
Ore/Bulk Carriers 0 2 0 13280
General Cargo 0 6 0 14847
Container Ships 0 10 0 60678
Refrigerated Carriers 1 0 7209 0
Ro-Ro 2 0 24694 0
Ferries andPassenger 3 0 1342 0
Other 2 0 3650 0
AllVessels 10 18 38938 88805
(Only vessels >1000 GRT andexcludes fishing, research andother non-commercial vessels).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.37
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Trade
2. 2.500.000 tonsbyquantity which is>99%oftotaltrade.
Forbothexports andimports inexcess of99%byquantity orvalue iscarried bysea.
3. Abt.1.600.000 tonsofimport representing inexcess of99%ofallimports arecarried bysea
andsimilarly abt.900.000 tonsofexports representing inexcess of99%ofallexports arecarried
bysea.
4. Inlinertrades (total abt.800.000 tons) abt.46%ofthecargoes arecarried innational-flag
vessels, whereas 52%arecarried inforeign-flag vessels intheownership orchartered bytheIcelandic
linercompanies. Abt.2%oflinercargoes arecarried byforeign owned andoperated vessels.
Inliquid bulktrades (oilandfishoil-totalabt.750.000 tons) allcargoes arecarried in
cross-trading foreign-flag vessels.
Indrybulktrades (total abt.950.000 tons) allcargoes arecarried inforeign-flag vessels and
onlyabt.20%inforeign-flag vessels intheownership orchartered bytheIcelandic linercompanies
andtheremaining 80%incross-trading foreign-flag vessels.
5. Cross-trading bynational-flag vessels isonlyequivalent of6%ofhome trading carried in
national-flag vessels.
Total cross-trading bothbynational-flag vessels andforeign-flag vessels intheownership or
ancharter toIcelandic shipping companies isabt.4%ofthehome-trading ofthesame vessels.
Organization ofCargo
6. Inlinershipping: 800.000 tons.
Drybulkshipping: 950.000 tons.
Liquid bulkshipping: 750.000 tons.
7. None. Liner shipping toandfrom Iceland isnotorganised intoaconference.
8. Icelandic companies control 98%ofthelinershipping toandfrom Iceland.
9. Abt.4%representing 2/3ofUSmilitary cargo carried toandfrom Iceland.
10. 100% notcounting vehicular units.
11. Lessthan1%byquantity inlinercargoes iscarried bytrue"door todoor" terms. However
abt.70%ofalllinercargoes areinfactcarried bymultimodal arrangements, butthrough separate
andindependent agreement forportto"door" delivery inreceiving port.
Ports andAuxiliary Services.
12. Asisunavoidableforanisland,nationalportshavealargemajorityofinternationaltradecargoes.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.37
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International Trade Container
Liner tons Bulk tons flow TEUS
Reykjavík 875000 536000 193300
Hafnarfjördur 38000 589522 7400
Grundartangi 300000
Húsavík 3000 3700
TOTALS 913000 1455522
13.
Foreign Foreign National
Ownership Ownership Ownership
Permitted Present Present
Container station &depot services yes no yes
Maritime Agency Services yes no yes
Maritime Freight Forwarding Services yes no yes
Maritime Cargo Handling Services yes no yes
Storage &Warehousing Services yes no yes
Custom Clearance Services yes no yes
Maintenance &repair ofvessels yes no yes
II. Regulatory Structure
General
1. Maritime Transport isdealt withbytheMinistry ofTransport andCommunications. The
Directorate ofShipping isresponsible formaritime safety. Some functions havebeendelegated to
private bodies e.g.theinspection ofliferafts. ThePortandHarbour Administration isresponsible
forports.
2. Nospecial regulatory approach isapplied inIceland.
3. Nospecial regulatory approach isapplied inIceland.
4. Nospecial regulatory approach isapplied inIceland.
5. N/AforIceland.
6. There isnospecial national definition of"international maritime transport".
7. Nospecial national definition.
Market Access
8. (a)-(d)None
9. (a)-(b)NoneS/NGMTS/W/2/Add.37
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10. No,notinrelation toshipowning companies.
11. (a)-(c)Theminimum conditions forgranting ashiptheright toflytheIcelandic flagare
expressly contained inalegislation ontheregistration ofships No.115/1985 with19/1991.
National Treatment
12. No
Access toandUsePortofFacilities
13. Thefollowing services areallavailable totheuseroftheport:
Pilotage
Towing andtugassistance
Provisioning, fuelling andwatering
Garbage collecting andballast waste disposal
Navigation aids
Shore based operational services
Emergency repair facilities
Anchorage, berth andberthing services
14. Theassistance ofapilotisrequired ofallvessels containing dangerous goods, asdefined in
theInternationalMaritimeDangerousGoodsCode.Portauthoritiesare,however,permittedtoauthorize
exemptions tothese rules.
15. Theservices listed above areavailable onanon-discriminatory basis. Theports'services
areprovided toforeign andnationally owned vessels onanequal basis.
16. Nodiscriminatory measures restrict access toports onthesame terms asnational services
suppliers. Pilotage is,though, required offoreign vessels. Noports involved ininternational traffic
areclosed orrestricted forentrance ofvessels owned oroperated byforeign nationals.
17. No
18. No
19. No
Most-favoured-nation treatment
20. Yes,onallincomingandoutgoinglinercargoesdestinedforandoriginatingwiththeUSMilitary
forces stationed inIceland.
21. Thetransport requirement istendered forbidsatregular intervals, bytheU.S.Military Sealift
Command (MSC). Permitted bidders areIcelandic andU.S. shipping companies. Theagreement
states thatthelowest bidder shallreceive 2/3'softhecargo, whereas thelowest bidder from other
country shallreceive theremaining 1/3share. Inviewofabove, theagreement covers Iceland and
U.S.A. although there isnotastipulation forIcelandic bidders toemploy Icelandic flagvessels, but
suchrestriction isapplied forU.S.bidders.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.37
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22. Thecargo agreement bears noreference totheU.N. Liner Code andneither oftheparticipating
countries, U.S.A. norIceland, haveratified thecode. Thecargo sharing agreement isintheform
ofabilateral government togovernment agreement between Iceland andU.S.A.
23. Noother preferential treatment exists.
24. Yes,compulsory pilotage dispensations areonlygranted toIcelandic nationals inthePortof
Reykjavík. ThePortofReykjavík grants Icelandic (only, irrespective ofvessel 'sregister) Master
dispensation from otherwise compulsory pilotage intheport, onthebasis ofeight arrivals intothe
portinthepreceding year.
25. No,onallabove accounts.
26. Nomeasures.
Shipping conference
30. Shipping conferences donotexist intrades toandfrom Iceland andnoIcelandic shipping
company isamember ofanyshipping conference.
31. Ifaconference weretobeestablished inlinertrades toandfromIceland, it'sagreement would
needtobenotified totheauthorities, namely theIcelandic Competition Board. TheCompetition Board
isempowered torender opinions onwhether anactivity violates thecurrent Antitrust Actandifso
concluded, other government enforcing agencies willpursue thematter suchthatsuchagreement would
haveintheECcountries, except thatnoexceptions aremade inrespect oflinerconferences, asIceland
hasneither ratified theUNLiner Code norarethereanyconferences inexistence intrades toandfrom
Iceland.
32. Norequirements existforfiling oftariffs, norenforcement ofcompliance thereto.
33. Notapplicable, asnoconferences norrequirements thereto exist.
34. a) Notapplicable duetoabsence ofconferences.
b) Notapplicable duetoabsence ofconferences.
c) Notapplicable duetoabsence ofconferences.
Shipper/Carrier Relations
35. Noformal conventional arrangement exists between shippers andcarriers. Shippers do
occasionally through limited common interest organisations suchastheWholesalers Federation, the
Chamber ofCommerce etc.,confront individual shipping companies onissues ofratesetc.However
there isnoShippers Council inexistence inIceland noranyother organisation representing shippers
asawhole. Further thecarriers common interest group, theIcelandic Shipowners Association does
notbyit'scharter, actontariffs etc.
36. Inviewofanswer toitem35above, norequirements existinrespect offreight ratenegotiations,
disputes norconsultations andsuchmatters aretheconcern oftheindividual shipper andcarrier.