The Jordanian parliament approved on Monday a bill on the 2011 Multimodal Transport Law.

Multimodal transport is characterised by the transfer of merchandise using more than one method of transportation by using one transportation contract and one document from the country where merchandise is shipped to the country of delivery.

The project complements previous national legislation that organizes the transportation sector and compensates shortcomings in the multimodal transport field. Additionally, the project addresses legal issues that arise from transportation operations across different countries, particularly the problem of responsibility for any loss, damage or delay in merchandise delivery.

Furthermore, the bill details the licensing and development of Jordanian contracting companies to carry out the international transportation and shipping of goods.

During the session, a number of MPs criticised the government for a poor translation of a foreign law instead of devising a local draft. Among them was Abdel Karim Doghmi who criticised the bill and pointed out that the government had not drafted a law specifically suited to Jordan’s needs even though The Cabinet and the Legislation and Opinion Bureau have the relevant expertise. Another MP, remarked that whether the translation was cheap or expensive was irrelevant since the resulting quality was poor.