发布时间：2026年08月19日
(Adopted at the Chairmen’s Meeting of the Tianjin Arbitration Commission on November 20, 2023)
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 The Tianjin Arbitration Commission (hereinafter referred to as the “TAC”) formulates these Rules in accordance with the Arbitration Law of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the “Arbitration Law”) and relevant laws, pursuant to the Arbitration Rules of the Tianjin Arbitration Commission (hereinafter referred to as the “Arbitration Rules”), and in light of the characteristics of disputes in the relevant industries.
Article 2 These Rules shall apply to disputes accepted by TAC involving the following matters:
(1) Disputes arising from the carriage of passengers and goods, bills of lading, passenger tickets, or other transport documents;
(2) Charterparty disputes;
(3) Disputes relating to the investment, construction, sale and purchase, repair, or financial leasing of means of transport (such as vessels, platforms, pipelines, cables, offshore aquaculture facilities, and offshore wind power installations), port and shipping facilities, marine exploration and development facilities, or other facilities and equipment related to shipping and logistics;
(4) Disputes relating to vessel operation, management, and manning;
(5) Disputes relating to the construction, services, and operations of ports and terminals;
(6) Disputes relating to offshore engineering construction, material supply, and services;
(7) Disputes relating to logistics, supply chains, warehousing, distribution, express delivery, the Internet of Things (IoT), rail transit, railway transport, highway transport, multimodal transport, and associated freight forwarding;
(8) Disputes relating to fishery production, aquaculture, and fishing;
(9) Disputes relating to general average, maritime accidents, and the handling thereof;
(10) Disputes arising from contracts for maritime freight forwarding;
(11) Disputes over insurance and Protection and Indemnity (P&I) liabilities related to the above matters as well as to shipping and logistics;
(12) Other maritime and admiralty disputes.
Article 3 TAC’s acceptance of Requests for Arbitration is not restricted by geographical location or nationality.
Where the parties submit a dispute specified in Article 2 of these Rules to TAC for arbitration and agree to apply these Rules, the arbitration proceedings shall be governed by these Rules. In the absence of an agreement to apply these Rules, the arbitration proceedings shall be governed by the Arbitration Rules of the TAC.
Where the parties agree to arbitrate in accordance with these Rules but fail to designate an arbitration institution, they shall be deemed to have agreed to submit the dispute to TAC for arbitration.
Where the parties agree to submit their dispute to TAC for arbitration but agree to modify certain provisions of these Rules or to apply other arbitration rules, such agreement shall prevail, except where such agreement is inoperable or conflicts with a mandatory provision of the law applicable to the arbitration proceedings.
For matters not covered by these Rules, the Arbitration Rules of the TAC shall apply.
Chapter II Application and Acceptance
Article 4 To apply for arbitration, the Claimant shall submit a Request for Arbitration, the Arbitration Agreement, documents proving the qualifications of the parties as legal subjects, and evidentiary materials supporting the arbitration claims.
Article 5 Upon receiving the Request for Arbitration and accompanying materials, TAC shall, if it considers the conditions for acceptance met, accept the case within five (5) days. If TAC considers that the conditions for acceptance are not met or that supplementary materials are required, it shall notify the party within five (5) days and state the reasons. Where TAC decides to accept the case, it shall, within five (5) days after acceptance, dispatch a Notice of Acceptance, these Rules, and the Panel of Arbitrators to the Claimant, and simultaneously dispatch a copy of the Request for Arbitration, a Notice of Defense, these Rules, and the Panel of Arbitrators to the Respondent.
Article 6 The party, upon receiving the Notice of Defense or the Notice of Defense against Counterclaim, shall submit a Statement of Defense within fifteen (15) days.
TAC shall, within five (5) days of receiving the Statement of Defense, serve a copy thereof on the other party.
Failure of a party to submit a Statement of Defense shall not affect the progress of the arbitration proceedings.
Article 7 The Claimant may initiate a single arbitration concerning disputes arising out of or in connection with multiple contracts, provided that the following conditions are concurrently met:
(1) The multiple contracts consist of a principal contract and its ancillary contract(s), or the multiple contracts involve the same parties and legal relationships of the same nature;
(2) The disputes arise out of the same transaction or the same series of transactions;
(3) The arbitration agreements in such multiple contracts are identical or compatible.
Article 8 A party may appoint authorized representatives to participate in the arbitration proceedings. The authorized representative shall submit the Power of Attorney and identity documents to TAC. The Power of Attorney shall specify the entrusted matters and the scope of authority. Where there are two or more authorized representatives, a lead speaker shall be designated; in the event of inconsistent statements among the representatives, the statement of the lead speaker shall prevail.
In the event of a change in the representative’s scope of authority or the termination of the representation, the party shall notify TAC in writing. Any change of the representative or their scope of authority shall not affect the arbitration proceedings already conducted when they possessed the relevant authority.
Chapter III Composition of the Arbitral Tribunal
Article 9 The Arbitral Tribunal shall be composed of either three arbitrators or one arbitrator. Where the Arbitral Tribunal is composed of three arbitrators, there shall be a Presiding Arbitrator. Any agreement of the parties on the composition of the Arbitral Tribunal shall prevail, unless such agreement violates the mandatory provisions of law, is incapable of being performed, or may render the arbitral award invalid.
Article 10 Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, if the amount in dispute does not exceed RMB 1 million, or if it exceeds RMB 1 million but the parties have so consented in writing, the Arbitral Tribunal shall be composed of a Sole Arbitrator.
Article 11 Where the arbitration claim has no monetary amount or the amount in dispute is unspecified, TAC shall have the power to decide whether the Arbitral Tribunal shall be composed of one or three arbitrators, taking into account the complexity of the case, the interests involved, and other relevant factors.
Chapter IV Preservation and Interim Measures
Article 12 During the arbitration proceedings, a party may, based on specific arbitration claims, apply to TAC for the following preservation measures:
(1) Preservation of evidence;
(2) Arrest of a vessel or a vessel under construction;
(3) Attachment of cargo;
(4) Other property preservation measures.
Upon receipt of an application for preservation submitted by a party, TAC shall forward the application to the competent People’s Court in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Arbitration Law, the Civil Procedure Law, or the Special Maritime Procedure Law.
Article 13 A party may apply to the Arbitral Tribunal for interim measures after the Arbitral Tribunal is constituted and before the final award is rendered.
Where the Arbitral Tribunal grants the interim measures, it may require the requesting party to provide appropriate security.
Article 14 Interim measures refer to the following decisions made by the Arbitral Tribunal against a party prior to the rendering of the final award:
(1) Maintaining the status quo;
(2) Taking action or refraining from taking action to prevent an adverse impact on the arbitral proceedings;
(3) Other measures that the Arbitral Tribunal deems necessary.
Article 15 Upon receiving a party’s application for interim measures, the Arbitral Tribunal shall consider the following factors:
(1) The irreparable harm that may be caused if the interim measures are not granted;
(2) The reasonable possibility that the requesting party will succeed on the merits based on the available materials;
(3) The possibility that the award would be unenforceable or difficult to enforce if the interim measures are not granted;
(4) The necessity and feasibility of granting the interim measures.
Article 16 Upon application by a party, the Arbitral Tribunal may decide to modify, suspend, or terminate the interim measures if it deems it strictly necessary.
Chapter V Hearings and Awards
Article 17 The Arbitral Tribunal shall adopt appropriate arbitration procedures by comprehensively considering factors such as the complexity of the dispute and the amount in dispute.
Article 18 The arbitral proceedings shall be conducted by means of oral hearings, unless the parties agree otherwise.
For cases where no oral hearing is to be held, the Arbitral Tribunal may conduct documents-only proceedings and render an award based on the Request for Arbitration, the Statement of Defense, the evidentiary materials, and other documents. The Arbitral Tribunal may request the parties to provide supplementary written explanations regarding the materials submitted. The parties shall submit such written explanations to the Arbitral Tribunal within seven (7) days upon receipt of the request or within the time limit specified by the Arbitral Tribunal.
Article 19 Under any of the following circumstances, the Arbitral Tribunal may, at its own discretion or upon application by a party, decide to conduct virtual hearings:
(1) An arbitrator is unable to attend an in-person hearing for any reason;
(2) A party is unable to attend an in-person hearing for any reason, submits a written application, and obtains the consent of the Arbitral Tribunal;
(3) The case has already been subject to an in-person hearing;
(4) Exchange of evidence, mediation, or other procedures organized by the Arbitral Tribunal;
(5) Other circumstances that the Arbitral Tribunal deems suitable for virtual hearings.
Article 20 TAC shall notify the parties and other participants in the arbitration of the date, time, and venue of the first hearing in writing at least ten (10) days in advance.
The hearing may be held at an earlier date if the parties so agree and the Arbitral Tribunal consents. A party seeking a postponement of the hearing for justified reasons shall submit a request at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled hearing date. The Arbitral Tribunal shall decide whether to grant such postponement.
A notice of the date for any subsequent hearings after the first hearing shall not be subject to the ten-day time limit.
Article 21 The Arbitral Tribunal shall render an arbitral award within ninety (90) days from its constitution.
If the Arbitral Tribunal requests an extension of time for rendering the award, such time limit may be appropriately extended upon approval by the Chairman of TAC.
Chapter VI Special Provisions on Foreign-Related Arbitration
Article 22 Arbitrations of foreign-related maritime and commercial disputes shall be governed by the provisions of this Chapter.
Where a party raises an objection as to whether a dispute involves foreign-related elements, TAC shall make a decision thereon.
Article 23 Chinese shall be the official language of the arbitration proceedings. Where the parties have agreed otherwise, such agreement shall prevail.
Article 24 After receiving the Notice of Defense, the parties shall, within forty-five (45) days, submit their Statements of Defense, relevant evidential materials, and proofs of their legal standing.
Article 25 After receiving the Notice of Acceptance or the Notice of Defense, the parties shall nominate their arbitrator(s) within fourteen (14) days.
Article 26 After the expiration of the Respondent’s period for defense, the Arbitral Tribunal may, based on the needs of the hearing, request the parties to submit a list of issues. The main contents of the list of issues shall include:
(1) The parties’ claims regarding legal status and legal relationships;
(2) Undisputed facts;
(3) Disputed facts;
(4) Whether there is any application for an advance award;
(5) Whether there is any evidence requiring special disclosure or supplementary submission;
(6) The method of hearing the case, the time of the oral hearing, etc.;
(7) Whether there are factual witnesses or expert witnesses, and whether such witnesses need to appear before the tribunal;
(8) The status of incurred legal costs;
(9) Whether there is any intention or application for mediation;
(10) Other matters deemed necessary by the Arbitral Tribunal or the parties.
Article 27 Based on the list of issues submitted by the parties and the needs of the hearing, the Arbitral Tribunal may schedule consecutive days for the oral hearing, and shall notify the parties in writing of the date and place of the hearing at least 30 days prior to the first oral hearing.
Article 28 Where a party claims legal representation fees on an hourly billing basis, it may, before the arbitral award is rendered, submit to the Arbitral Tribunal supplementary evidential materials such as updated fee bills, invoices, work breakdowns, and proofs of payment.
Article 29 The Arbitral Tribunal shall render the arbitral award within six (6) months after its constitution.
Where the Arbitral Tribunal applies for an extension to render the award, such period may be appropriately extended subject to the approval of the Chairman of TAC.
Chapter VII Service and Time Limits
Article 30 TAC shall serve arbitration documents, materials, etc., on the parties by direct delivery, mail, facsimile, email, or other lawful means.
Service shall be deemed to have been effected if the document is delivered directly to the party or mailed to the party’s place of business, place of registration, habitual residence, address specified on the identity card, registered permanent address, or the address for service of legal documents expressly agreed or confirmed by the party in the contract; or, if none of the aforesaid addresses can be found after reasonable inquiry by the other party, the document is dispatched by TAC by mail or any other means that provides a record of the attempt to deliver it to the party’s last known place of business, place of registration, domicile, habitual residence, or mailing address confirmed in the contract or other materials.
Article 31 Where a party to the dispute is the owner, bareboat charterer, financial lessee, operator, or manager of the vessel involved, service on the Master of the vessel shall be deemed as service on the party, except where the Master acts as the Claimant.
Article 32 The time of service shall be the time when the document is first served on the addressee by any of the aforementioned means.
Article 33 The time limits stipulated in these Rules shall begin to run from the day following the date on which the party receives, or there is a relevant record proving that it has received, the documents, notices, or materials dispatched by TAC.
Article 34 Time limits shall be calculated in hours, days, months, and years. The hour and day from which a time limit begins to run shall not be included in the calculation.
If the last day of a time limit falls on an official public holiday, the first day following the public holiday shall be the date of expiration.
Article 35 Where a party fails to meet a time limit due to force majeure or other justified reasons, it may apply for an extension of the time limit within ten (10) days after the obstacle is eliminated. TAC or the Arbitral Tribunal shall decide whether to grant such application.
Chapter VIII Supplementary Provisions
Article 36 The Chinese text of these Rules promulgated by TAC shall prevail.
Article 37 These Rules shall be interpreted by TAC.
Article 38 These Rules shall come into force as of January 1, 2024.