Transpetrol Maritime Services Ltd v SJB (Marine Energy) BV (The “Rowan”) – Court of Appeal (Longmore and Davis LJJ and Sir David Keene) – 27 January 2012

Charterparty – Tanker voyage charter – Owners warranting vessel “approved” by specified oil majors – Construction of warranty – Whether owners in breach of warranty following imposition of Class condition

On 6 June 2007 the claimant owners of the vessel Rowan concluded a voyage charterparty with the defendant charterers for the carriage of fuel and/or vacuum gas oil from the Black Sea to discharge and reload at Antwerp and thence to the US Gulf. At that time, the owners claimed to have obtained five approvals from oil majors, namely Statoil, Motor Oil Hellas, Lukoil, BP and Exxon.