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Charterers enter into addendum agreement to pay damages for detention as a result of owners’ threats to sail ship for failure to provide contractual cargo - Whether agreement voidable on ground of economic duress

The voyage charterers had difficulty in providing all the cargo promptly at the loading port. After the ship had loaded for about a day the owners threatened to sail on the grounds that, according to them, the second part of the charterers’ parcel was not available. Following those threats the charterers agreed an addendum providing for them to pay detention at an agreed rate from 18 00 hours local time until the ship sailed.