mjmerrett (asker) Dec 17, 2008:

Thanks anyway, Arabella

ArabellaCE (X) Dec 16, 2008:

hmmm.. clearly an an elusive one, but intriguing. Sounds like it's drawing a distinction between a ship built for resale purposes or for personal use, but you're right about there being little reference on the net. had a good trawl but nothing precise.

mjmerrett (asker) Dec 16, 2008:

Shipbulding contract The customer, insofar as I understand her, tells me that "construction par économie" is something to do with building a ship for one's own commercial use, whereas "c.`à l'entreprise" is building one for another company to use. She insists that there must be a direct equivalent in English, as there is in Spanish and Italian, but all I have been able to find appears to point to differences in terms of payment, etc, in (ship)building contracts. Here, in any case, are the scant references in the text:

"The French legal order recognizes two modalities in relation to this contract: the “construction par économie” and the “construction à forfait ou à l´entreprise,” and the contract, according to the majority French doctrine, is considered a future sale.
(...)
1. Doctrinal Analysis: The majority doctrine, in Spain, analyzes the contract through the study of its categories:
1º. Shipbuilding "por economía" or self-administration
2º. Shipbuilding "por empresa" or for reward
In relation to this second category, the doctrine differentiates between the following cases:
- materials are supplied by the builder
- materials are supplied by the customer
- mixed supply"

THANK YOU

ArabellaCE (X) Dec 16, 2008:

could you provide more extracts? I hesitate to provide an answer as it stands.