Osmium Shipping Corporation v Cargill International SA (The “Captain Stefanos”) – QBD (Com Ct)(Cooke J) – 13 March 2012

Charterparty – Off-hire – Vessel hijacked by Somali pirates – Construction of off-hire clause – Whether “seizure” had to be carried out “by any authority”

The claimant owners chartered their vessel Captain Stefanos to the defendant charterers on an amended NYPE (1946) form dated 28 August 2011. On 21 September 2008 the vessel was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. She was released on 6 December 2008 after the owners paid a substantial ransom to the pirates.