London arbitration 19/04

Tanker voyage charter - Whether notice of readiness valid - Whether owners in breach of guarantee to discharge cargo within 24 hours - Whether protracted operations constituted "stripping" as opposed to discharging of cargo

The vessel was chartered on a tanker voyage charter pursuant to which she carried two grades of crude oil (Khafji crude and Kuwaiti crude) from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to Sikka. There were two main issues. The first was whether a valid notice of readiness was tendered at one of the loading ports. The second related to the time spent in the discharging, and in particular the alleged stripping, of the second parcel to be discharged (the Khafji crude).