O Transporte Marítimo e o Novo Ciclo da Sustentabilidade

The application in Portugal of the 1980 "Vienna Convention on the International Sale of Goods" is of enormous importance, since it is a very useful instrument to speed up international trade. It should be remembered that INCOTERMS are acronyms that aim to catalogue the various forms of buying and selling and the responsibilities of the various players in the chain, from seller to buyer. International transport - which is 90% performed by sea - is based on international sales and purchase contracts, whether they are governed, in what regards the choice of applicable law, by European Union Law or by International Law and, in this case, by the Vienna Convention. On the other hand, the current framework of decarbonization of the economy and energy transition implies that maritime transport - essentially, in its international version - is also appreciated in the new valence of sustainability that can be summarized in three essential goals concerning its performance: efficient, competitive, and respecting the circular economy, socially appropriate to seafarers (in a broad sense) and respecting a roadmap for the progressive use of renewable energy. It is, therefore, essential that the process of decarbonization of the maritime sector to be adopted by the European Union and the IMO is identical, compatible or harmonizable in the medium term and, necessarily, with a convergence roadmap.