The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) should focus on regulatory reforms, according to members of the tripartite shippers' councils. A tripartite shippers' delegation, which attended an OECD regulatory reform workshop in Paris earlier this year, helped the gathering focus on the need to do more work on the effects of common pricing and the impact of discussion and stabilisation agreements on shippers and shipowners. 'With the first phase of the workshop now completed, the tripartite shippers' delegation will be submitting a follow-up communication that supports the OECD's continued work on this issue,' said Hong Kong Shippers' Council executive director Sunny Ho. The group consists of the US National Industrial Transportation League, the Japan Shippers' Council and the European Shippers' Council. Its meeting, held in Haifa, Israel, last week, was attended by shippers' councils of Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada and Singapore, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which endorsed the joint declaration. Mr Ho said the tripartite submission would urge the OECD to consider carefully various topics as part of its study, including immunity and pricing in international ocean shipping, entry and exit from trade routes, carriers' financial positions, industry cost structures and cost trends, market concentration, activities of discussion agreements and the role of technology in reducing costs and increasing flexibility. Mr Ho said the tripartite members agreed to pursue a strategy that would allow continued co-operative efforts to make changes to rules to enhance competition in maritime transport. The members said finding new and different ways of approaching the ocean-transport business was the key to developing innovations and efficiencies in an industry. The group agreed to support pending reform legislation in Canada. The proposals under discussion include implementation of provisions aimed at phasing out exemption arrangements, a move which will help Canada create a more efficient ocean-transport system. The shippers also agreed that obsolete cargo liability rules and laws needed to be updated to reflect modern shipping standards and practices and, where practical, be compatible with as many trading nations as possible. Tripartite members were encouraged to ask their national governments and regulatory bodies to support changes to lift liability standards. The members also wanted a package to be defined as the individual units packed in a container or pallet and enumerated in the bill-of-lading or similar document, and not the container or pallet. They also wanted an increase in damage limitations per package set by carriers to a level that realistically reflected the value of the loss or damaged shipment. 'The damage limitations, which are stipulated in all present bills-of-lading, were established at 1937 levels,' Mr Ho said. Tripartite members also wanted the elimination of the 'error of navigation defence' which allowed carriers to avoid liability for cargo loss or damage even if the shipping line had negligently navigated or managed the vessel.