《装卸时间与滞期费》第3章-装卸时间的起算-连载43

　　CHAPTER 3 第3章

　　Commencement of laytime 装卸时间的起算

　　Readiness and readiness做好准备和准备就绪

　　3.344 Most modern charters do, however, link cancellation with the giving of notice of readiness, rather than with just being ready. Thus, clause 12 of Part II of the Exxonvoy 84 form of charter provides:

　　CANCELLATION OF CHARTER. If Vessel has not tendered a valid Notice of Readiness by 16 00 hours local time on the Cancelling Date specified in Part I(B), Charterer shall have the right to cancel this Charter by notifying Owner or Owner’s Agent by telegraph, telex or radio (if radio, subsequently confirmed promptly in writing) of such cancellation within forty-eight (48) hours local time after expiration of the said Cancelling Date, failing which this Charter shall remain in full force and effect. Charterer’s said option shall continue to apply even if Vessel tenders Notice of Readiness within the just mentioned forty-eight hour period...

　　Similarly, clause 4 of Part II of the Bimchemvoy charter states:

　　Charterers’ Option of Cancelling

　　If the Vessel has not given a valid Notice of Readiness as provided in Clause 7 by 12 midnight (24 00 hours) local time on the cancelling date specified in Box 16 Charterers shall have the option of cancelling this Charter Party . . .

　　3.344尽管如此，现代大部分的租船合同中确实是将解约条款同准备就绪通知书的递交联系在一起，而不是仅仅准备就绪本身。正如Exxonvoy84租船合同格式范本的第II部分中第12条款所规定的那样：

　　解除租船合同 截止到第I部分(B)中所规定的解约日的当地时间1600时为止，如果船舶未能递交有效的准备就绪通知书，承租人有权取消该租船合同，并在该解约日期满后的当地时间48小时之内，以电报、电传或无线电话（若用无线电话，随后则要附上书面文件予以确认）形式通知船舶所有人或其代理人；若未能发出该通知，该租船合同仍视为完全有约束力和有效的；即使在上述48小时之内船舶递交了准备就绪通知书，承租人的上述选择权仍然适用……

　　同样，在Bimchemvoy租船合同的第II部分的第4条款中是这样规定的：

　　承租人的解约选择权：

　　如果，船舶直至第16栏中规定的解约日那天当地时间午夜12点(2400)，还没有递交第7条款中所规定的有效的准备就绪通知书，承租人就应该有权选择取消该租船合同……

　　3.345 Clearly, if a charter does allow a charterer to cancel unless notice is given then the question of whether the charterer’s right has arisen is more clear cut. If no such notice is required for cancellation and the ship has reached her specified destination but not yet given notice of readiness to load, the charterer cannot be sure whether he has the right to cancel without first ascertaining the position from the shipowner. The only time he can be certain is when the vessel has not reached its specified destination by the cancelling date.

　　3.345显然，如果只要递交了准备就绪通知书，租船合同就不允许承租人取消该合同，那么，承租人是否有权这一问题也就明显削弱。若解约并不要求有这样的通知书，并且船舶已抵达了指定目的地，但还未递交装货准备就绪通知书，则承租人在未确定船东所告知的船舶位置前，他就无法肯定是否有权取消该合同。他唯一所能确定的是，截止到解约日船舶还未抵达其指定的目的地时，这时他才能作出解除合同的决定。

　　3.346 In an American case involving a vessel called the Luctor, the charterers sought to argue that where a vessel arrived later than the cancelling date, but they failed to cancel, her late arrival would disentitle the owners from claiming demurrage. This contention was rejected by the arbitration tribunal concerned who held that the charterers could not unilaterally rewrite the charter and therefore the laytime provisions remained in force. The position would have been the same had this been an English case.

　　3.346在一个美国案例中，涉及的船舶名为Luctor，船舶在解约日之后抵达，但他们并未解除合同，承租人试图以迟于抵达为由来剥夺船东索赔滞期费的权利。仲裁庭驳回了这一论点，并裁定：承租人不能单方面地改写租船合同，所以，装卸时间条款仍旧有效。如果其在英国审判的话，立场也是一样的。
　　

　　《装卸时间与滞期费》购买链接（点击可购买）

　　海运圈聚焦专栏作者 魏长庚船长（微信号CaptWei）