Stephan Erbe
Shipping; Transport and Logistics; Business Enterprises and Entrepreneurs; International; Banking, Capital Markets and Insurance; Litigation and Arbitration; Work and Profession
Stephan Erbe is a partner at Lenz Caemmerer. He is one of the leading Swiss specialists in transport law. He represents and advises clients in the transport, logistics and forwarding industry on transport law issues, including road transport (CMR), but also rail, air and sea transport (CIM, Montreal Convention, Hague-Visby Rules). A particular focus is on inland waterway transport (CMNI), flag state rules and ship financing. In addition to actual transport law issues, Stephan Erbe also advises on general commercial law issues such as contract, corporate and labour law. Stephan Erbe completed his studies at the University of Fribourg. After an initial 5 years with an international audit company in Basel and London, he has now been practicing as an attorney for more than 20 years. He is co-author of the Basel Commentary on transport law and the Munich Online-Commentary on the CMR. He is Vice-Chairman oft he Swiss Maritime Law Association and is a member of various committees in the transport and logistics field (e.g. legal committee of the inland waterways association IVR, transport committee of the Basel Chamber of Commerce)
Areas of activity
- Banking, Capital Markets and Insurance
- Business Enterprises and Entrepreneurs
- International
- Litigation and Arbitration
- Shipping
- Transport and Logistics
- Work and profession
Fields of Law
- Arbitration
- Charterparties
- Civil Procedure
- Collections and Bankruptcy (Litigation and Arbitration)
- Commercial Law
- Contracts (Business Enterprises and Entrepreneurs)
- Corporate (Business Enterprises and Entrepreneurs)
- Customs Law
- Export Control Law
- Flagstate Rules
- Freight Contract Law
- Freight Forwarding Law
- General Average, Collision
- Inland Navigation Law
- International Business
- Labor and employment (Work and profession)
- Litigation and Arbitration
- Logistics Law
- Marine Insurance
- Maritime Transport Law
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Multimodal Transport Law
- Rail Transport Law
- Residency Permits
- Road Transport Law
- Setting up of Shipping Companies
- Ship Finance
- Ship Operators and Shipmanagement
- Ship Sales and Acquisitions
- Transport Law
Short biography
- Born in Basel in 1971; British-Swiss double cititzen
- Honorary Consul to the Republic of Malta
- Studied law at the University of Fribourg; Master in 1997
- Admitted to the bar in 2000
- Lawyer with an international auditing firm in Basel and London from 2000 to 2004
- Partner in commercial law firms in Basel sind 2004; since 2026, with Lenz Caemmerer
- Mermber of various Boards of Directors and membership in expert commissions in the transport, logistics, and inland waterway transport sectors
- Various publications in the field of transport law
- Languages: German, English, French
Publications
- Basler Kommentar zum Obligationenrecht I, Art. 439-457 (gemeinsam mit Christian Hochstrasser), 2025
- Beck Online-Grosskomentar, Art. 4-10 CMR, seit 2023
- Wenig bekannt – das rechtliche Regime auf dem Rhein, in: Tribune 2/2022
- ICLG-Guide on Shipping Law 2021
- Das schweizerische Zollgesetz bietet keine Grundlage für konsumentenschützerische Eingriffe, in: TranspR 2/2021, 59 f.
- Insights for Switzerland – Second View from a practical perspective, in: Transportation Law on the Move, Bern 2020, 331 ff. (nur in Englisch)
- Time charters in inland river cruising and COVID-19: the situation under Swiss law (nur in Englisch)
- International Comparative Legal Guide to: Shipping Law 2018 (Switzerland)
- Eine gewichtige Lücke im schweizerischen Recht der Eisenbahnfinanzierung, in: TransportR 6/2018 (gemeinsam mit Dr. Christian Hochstrasser)
- Gini/Durlemann: Bundesgericht ebnet Weg für Regresse von Transportversicherern
- Substantiierungspflicht und Beweiswert von Schadensgutachten im Transportrecht, in: dRSK, publiziert am 12. Dezember 2017
- Vertragliche Steuerung des Haftungsrisikos bei Transportverträgen, in: HAVE-Sammelband 2016
- Im Würgegriff der Zollbehörden, in: strassenTransport 11/2013
- Kommentar zum Bundesgerichtsentscheid 4A_284/2012, in: TranspR 3/2013
- The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Aviation Law 2013 (Switzerland Chapter), published by Global Legal Group
- Negative Festellungsklage unter der Geltung der CMR, in: Digitaler Rechtsprechungs-Kommentar, Push-Service, publiziert am 20. November 2012
- Kommentar zum Entscheid des Handelsgerichts des Kantons Aargau HOR.2010.47, in: TranspR 8/2012
- Zur Grobfahrlässigkeit des Frachtführers, in: strassenTransport 3/2012
- Der Frachtführer als Inkassogehilfe des Auftraggebers, in: strassenTransport 1-2/2010
- Haftung für fehlerhafte Ladungssicherung, in: strassenTransport 11/2008
- Der Multimodalvertrag im schweizerischen Recht, in: TranspR 11-12/2005 (gemeinsam mit Philipp Schlienger)
- Das Fusionsgesetz, in: SteuerRevue 12/2003 (gemeinsam mit Thomas Jaussi und Ralph Theiler)