North Sea Freight Conditions of Carriage & NSOCC Green Card: Constitution of the panel for the review and update.

Hamburg, 21.05.2026

Dear NSOCC members,

 North Sea Operators’ Claims Conference has always been proud to have developed the “North Sea Freight Conditions” to be used for trade in the North Sea, Irish Sea and the Baltic. The Conference has also created the “NSOCC Green Card” as guidelines for streamlining settlement of claims relating to damage to Articles of Transport (AoT) carried under the Carrier’s Standard Terms of Carriage. NSOCC offers these conditions for free to the industry, and we are pleased to note that the Conditions and Green Card have been adopted by many of the ferry and ro-ro operators operating in our area, making it a part of their Terms of Carriage. This custom contributes to uniform conditions and aims to provide fair handling of transport conditions and claims in the trade.

 However, we have received several reports that the “North Sea Freight Conditions” need an overhauling to provide a better approach and service to the trade. Since changes to the “North Sea Standard Conditions of Carriage -NSSCC” were proposed in 24 NSOCC Oxford 2000 (hosted by Thomas Cooper & Stibbard) and adopted in 25 NSOCC Göteborg 2001 (Hosted by DFDS Tor Line A/S) as “North Sea Freight Conditions of Carriage -NSFCC -NSFC” and changes to the “NSOCC Green Card” were proposed by the then NSOCC Chairman Thomas Bjørn Larsen in 33 NSOCC Hamburg 2009 and last adopted in 35 NSOCC Rotterdam 2011 (hosted by Post & Co (P&I) B.V. / Transfennica / Van Harmelen Beijneveld Van Houten Adv.), both are due for a revision and update to match new legislation, technical and commercial requirements.

 The Board of Directors of the North Sea Operators’ Claims Conference have discussed the issue and its Chairman Mr. Rune Dybedal (NorthStandard) has the pleasure of announcing to NSOCC Members the constitution of a panel of industry experts, legal as well as professionals working in the transport industry and insurance of these businesses involved, for the review of the “North Sea Freight Conditions” and “NSOCC Green Card” to bring them up to date. The panel is representing several institution and businesses from several European countries.

 We hope that this review will be possible to complete by September 2026, for the panel to present the suggested amendments at the 48 Session of the North Sea Operators’ Claims Conference in Bristol (hosted by Birketts LLP), where delegate members from the industry can give their input before any final revision is approved, and published by NSOCC.

 The reviewing and updating panel have been constituted as follows:

as Chairman of the reviewing and updating panel and P&I expert, Mr Andy Macrow (2012-2018 Chairman NSOCC)

as legal expert, Prof. Dr. Frank Stevens. Erasmus School of Law - Rotterdam. Associate professor Commercial Law

as legal expert, Mr Matthew Wilmshurst. HFW - London. Partner

as operator expert, Ms Sarah McDaid. DFDS A/S - UK Branch. Customer Claims Manager - North Sea & Channel

as operator expert, Mr Mads Kyrkjebø-Urheim. Sea-Cargo AS - Bergen. Marine Assistant

as operator expert, Ms Jutta Seppänen. Finnlines Plc - Helsinki. Senior Legal Counsel

as P&I expert, Mr Andrew Glynn-Williams. SKULD - Oslo. Vice President, Head of FDD & Casualty, Skuld Nordics and Eastern Europe

for NSOCC Board of Directors as caller-publisher and as panel observer, its Chairman Mr Rune Dybedal. NorthStandard - Newcastle upon Thyne
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The North Sea Operators' Claims Conference:

 2026 and the 48 Session NSOCC Bristol marks the 50 Anniversary since several Scandinavian shipping lines and some of their insurers attended the First "Conference for the establishment of rules for settlement of claims in respect of 'Articles of Transport'" (0 NSOCC 1976 I), celebrated on the 30th of March 1976 in Göteborg, and likewise attended the Second "Conference for the establishment of rules for settlement of claims in respect of 'Articles of Transport'" (0 NSOCC 1976 II), celebrated on the 11 and 12 of October 1976 in Kungälv, Hotel Fars Hatt. Two related side meetings were held in London: June the 2nd 1976 - North Sea Club Conference and June the 8th 1976 - Harmonisation (Freight) Conference.

 2027 and the 49 Session will celebrate the 50 Anniversary of the naming of the Conference, as we know today and since then, when the Operators and Founding Members attending at the Third "Conference for the establishment of rules for settlement of claims in respect of 'Articles of Transport'" signed the minutes' § 27 of the "Claims procedures for articles of transport Assembly" on the 14 of September 1977 in Ipswich at The Post House Hotel, London Road -the First Session of the NSOCC or 1 NSOCC 1977- where "the Members agreed that further cooperation should be performed under the name North Sea Operators’ Claims Conference (NSOCC)".

 Finally, 2028 will be the 50 Session NSOCC, as the Conference couldn't be held for two years due to the impact of the 2019 Pandemic.

https://www.nsocc.eu/history

https://www.nsocc.eu/members/founding-members

https://www.nsocc.eu/about/timeline