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Identity of parties to charterparty - Whether charterers contracted with shipowners or owners’ management company

The issue in this arbitration was whether the voyage charter had been concluded with the shipowners or the owners’ managers. Negotiations had taken place on the telex between brokers acting for the charterers, intermediate brokers and brokers acting on the owners’ side. Those negotiations came to fruition on 17 September 1987. In the meantime, on 15 September, the charterers’ brokers had sent along the broking chain a telex in which, inter alia, they enquired: