Neutral area in terms of risk area principle in transportation law and assessment of COVİD-19 pandemic in regards to neutral area

Abstract

The transport law of Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 grants certain demand rights to the parties of a carriage contract. This has been attributed to the fact that the transport or delivery obstacle may not fall within the carrier's own risk area or is included in the risk area of the other party. Risk area principle is broader than fault liability. Because, while determining the risk areas of the parties of the contract, besides personally culpable behavior or negligence; some other criteria such as culpability arising from the organizational areas of the parties, predictability, and controllability are also applicable. It is not disputed that there is a carrier's risk area and a consignor's risk area. It is, however, controversial whether there is a third or neutral area. If the existence of a neutral risk area is accepted, there is no legal regulation regarding which party must endure the consequences of carriage or delivery obstacles that arise from the neutral risk area; doctrinal solutions to this issue diverge. For much of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic brought normal life to a standstill beginning in February 2020. The pandemic revealed how necessary it is to acknowledge the existence of a neutral risk area. Solutions must be developed within transport law regarding the consequences of carriage or delivery obstacles that result from a neutral event. Also, in this context, the fifth book of the Turkish Commercial Code contains provisions related to sea transport that should be utilized..