On March 24, 2021, M/V EVER GIVEN from Evergreen Marine Corp stranded in the southern part of the Suez Canal shortly after it entered the canal, resulting in the closure of the two-way channel of the Suez Canal and the blockage of hundreds of ships on the route between Asia and Europe. There exist quite tedious and complicated legal issues behind the stranding of M/V EVER GIVEN, including the contractual liability of M/V EVER GIVEN to the owners of cargo, the legal liability of M/V EVER GIVEN to the Suez Canal Authority and to the rescue force, and the establishment and contribution of general average. As to the specific claims for compensation, the legal relationship between the parties should be made clear firstly, and the establishment of the right to claim should then be confirmed. We should also distinguish claims which have been covered by the insurer or the P&I club from those which should be the responsibility of the ship owner. Combined with the gross tonnage data of M/V EVER GIVEN, the limitation of liability for maritime claims can be calculated according to the 2012 Amendment of CONVENTION ON LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR MARITIME CLAIMS 1976. To have a conclusion that the paper will predict whether the owner of M/V EVER GIVEN will be bankrupt, the value of the vessel should be compared with the amount of limitation of liability for maritime claims.

have similar but different provisions on the nature of bill of lading. The Hague Rules use covered to stipulate that the bill of lading is the proof of carriage contract, while covered also means including. The Hamburg Rules and Maritime Laws of the People's Republic of China use evidence to stipulate that the bill of lading is the proof of carriage contract, while the United States Freight Act 1999 considers the bill of lading as the carriage contract directly. For this problem that the nature of the bill of lading is proof of the carriage contract or the carrier of the carriage contract, this paper adopts the methods of literature research and comparative study, starting from the relevant legal provisions of bill of lading, progressively analyze the legal nature of bill of lading and draw a conclusion from the perspective of the conclusion of carriage contract, the relationship between bill of lading and carrier of carriage contract and carrier of carriage contract three dimensions. That is, the bill of lading is not the carriage contract and the rights and obligations of both parties are subject to the carriage contract in the non-public carrier contract of human transport. In the public carrier contract of human transport, the bill of lading is the carrier of the carriage contract in some cases, but only the proof of the carriage contract iLn some cases.

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Third-party ship management is the management of ships by professional companies independent of shipowners and charterers. It is the result of the mature development of the international shipping industry and the refinement of the division of labor in the industry. Since its emergence in the 1950s, it has played an increasingly important role in improving the flexibility of ship operations, reducing ship operating costs, and improving the level of professional services. In China, it has only been about 21 years since the first ship management company was born, and the whole industry is still in the process of exploration. The relevant legal provisions are not sufficiently clear. Theoretical studies on ship managers have also focused on management strategies and less on civil legal liability. To better understand the legal liability of ship managers, this paper identifies the concept and characteristics of ship managers based on the fundamental theories of civil law. The civil liability of ship managers is discussed in terms of breach of contract, tort, and contract negligence, taking shipping practice and standard agreements into account. According to the different legal provisions and judicial practice, it is proved that the liability of ship managers is becoming increasingly strict. They must be partially responsible for the safe and proper operation of the ship, and the legal status is not only as of the shipowner's agent. The paper also analyses the situations where the ship manager may not benefit from the limitation of liability and suggests that this should be considered in the management agreement or legal regime.

The bill of lading is a primary transport document generally signed by or on behalf of the carrier by sea. Because of its comprehensive characteristics, it also plays an important role in the field of international trade. It is widely treated as a document of title in maritime law research and legal practice, but as to the specific meaning of the document of title, there is no accurate and universally accepted interpretation. It is an academic topic left to scholars to discuss. With the changes in the form of bills of lading in practice, it is also a fundamental issue to reduce the disputes arising from the delivery of goods and payment settlement in trade. This paper reviews the different expressions and variations of the bill of lading in relevant conventions and different domestic laws and analyzing the provisions or presumed meanings of the document of title. Based on the various functions of the bill of lading in transportation and trade, it further emphasizes that the dual legal nature of the document of title is mainly for delivery requests and constructive possession of goods. The correction of deviation regarding the implication of document of title in the Chinese context, especially the controversy about the bill of lading as a document of property and the document of debt, and the further clarification of legal nature of a different bill of lading in particular application stage could be obtained.