London arbitration 1/09

Charterparty – Laytime – Whether ship’s gear defective – Whether time lost – Whether berth charter or port charter – Dues paid by owners resulting from delayed discharging – Whether for charterers’ account – Delays in discharging caused by incidents beyond charterers’ control – Whether time counted

The vessel was chartered on the Gencon form with additional clauses for a voyage carrying 30,875 mt of sodium sulphate in bags “1 SBP [safe port/berth] ZHENJIANG, CHINA/1 SBP [safe port/berth] VITORIA, BRAZIL”. Various disputes arose under the charter, including the following: