海运业是世界上资本密集程度最高的产业之一. 因为在海运业中最重要的资产就是船舶. 船舶,尤其是大型船舶建造需要投入巨大资金,但是其资金的回收还需要很长时间. 作为高价动产的船舶在世界到处都可以销售,变现力很强,通过船舶费的现金流量好,因此船舶在金融市场上很受欢迎. 船舶融资是指以船舶建造合同、船体租船合同等船舶交易有关并对船舶的资产价值和未来收益设定担保而融通资金的总称. 最近在韩国船舶融资市场上,作为发包方的海运企业和预付款退款担保方金融公司之间逐渐增加法律纠纷. 其主要原因是由于造船厂(船舶建造合同当事人)的破产导致而合同不能履行. 预付款保函作为银行独立担保的一种,具有独立抽象性原则的特点. 银行独立担保中的预付款保函是独立于船舶建造合同,跟一般的担保不同的是原则上没有附从性或补充性. 因此,受益人只符合预付款保函上的条件时,担保银行有义务支付保证金. 然而,预付款保函的独立抽象性不是一个绝对性原则,并不能完全排除诚实信用原则和禁止权利滥用原则. 虽然适用诚实信用原则和禁止权力滥用原则,但考虑以独立抽象性的银行独立担保的本质特点,韩国大法院站在受益人的保证金请求是否属于权力滥用需要严格解释的立场.
Ship finance is closely related to shipping industry, shipbuilding industry and banking industry and, therefore, complex contractual relationship exists under ship finance. A ship is the most important asset in a shipping company. A price of ship is very expensive and shipbuilding is a long-term process. In the context of a shipbuilding contract, a buyer as a shipping company worries about default or bankruptcy of a builder in the course of shipbuilding. The buyer, therefore, asks for refund guarantee regarding a shipbuilding contract. As an applicant, the builder makes an effort to obtain the refund guarantee from a guarantor. Usually, a commercial bank becomes a guarantor. This refund guarantee is a kind of independent bank guarantees and the buyer becomes a beneficiary under refund guarantee. One of significant characteristics of refund guarantee is independence. According to the independence, refund guarantee is independent of the shipbuilding contract which is an underlying contract. The guarantor, therefore, irrevocably and unconditionally guarantees repayment of advance payment. However, the independence of refund guarantee is not absolute. Therefore, the independence of refund guarantee should be limited under the principle of prohibition of abuse of a right. In this connection, the Korea Supreme Court decided the refund guarantee case and made clear legal standard of abuse of a right. In conclusion, first, the independence of refund guarantee should be restricted under the principle of prohibition of abuse of a right. Second, when the abuse of a right of a beneficiary is objectively clear, a guarantor can refuse repayment of advance payment in spite of the independence of refund guarantee.