Lloyd's Maritime Law Newsletter

Sale of goods (CFR) – Sale contract requiring buyers to pay charterparty freight to sellers as soon as possible after signing bills of lading – Buyers failing to make timely payment – Shipowners refusing to release bill of lading until freight paid – Delay in freight payment resulting in demurrage liability under charterparty – Whether sellers entitled to indemnity from buyers in respect of demurrage liability

Charterparty – Non-payment of hire – Owners withdrawing vessel from charterers’ service – Anti-technicality clause – Whether withdrawal premature – Whether owners in repudiatory breach – Whether charterers entitled to balance of hire – Whether owners entitled to additional hire

Carriage of goods by sea – Barratry – Chief engineer deliberately setting fire to vessel – Relevance of chief engineer’s state of mind – Whether shipowners entitled to rely on Hague Rules exemptions of “fire” and “any other cause”