London Arbitration 23/95

Laytime - Charterers alleged that cargo damage caused slowdown in rate of discharging - Whether time lost to count as laytime

This was a further dispute arising under London Arbitration 21/95. During the course of discharging the cargo it was discovered that some bags of ammonium nitrate were contaminated with oil. It was also found that some bags of urea were torn and leaking. The charterers said that those facts were the owners’ responsibility and that they had led to discharging operations being slowed down. To the extent that time was lost in consequence, they said it should not count.