Nicola Cox, Head of Defence at West P&I, has writtena useful FAQ on the Ukraine Conflict and charterparties. In a wide-ranging article Cox covers such questions/topics as:
- Can an owner refuse to sail to a Ukrainian orRussian port and, if the vessel is already at a Ukrainian or Russian port, canan owner leave the port/berth?
- How is “danger” assessed?
- Legal as well as physical safety
- How quickly do owners need to react tocharterers’ orders?
- Definitions of “war” under Englishlaw, Conwartime 2012, Voywar 2013
- Obligations and rights of owners and charterersin war situations
- If an owner refuses to sail to a Ukrainian portor leaves a Ukrainian port and requests new orders, will the ship remain onhire?
- When owners or charterers can cancel charterpartiesbecause of an outbreak of war, and when they cannot.
- What are the implications for bills of ladingand contracts of carriage?
