Accept/Except

Accept/Except is a maritime term which is usually used in time charter party contracts or voyage charter party contracts.

The term, when used during the negotiation phase of the charter party contracts, explains to the receiver that the counter-party agreed to the offer apart from certain conditions or clauses.

Accept/Except used by either the shipowner’s broker or the prospective charterer’s broker during the negotiations for the charter of a ship to signify that an offer or counter-offer is accepted apart from certain clauses or details.

Objections are then listed together with the amendments sought.

Accept/Except Term Usage Example:

Charter Party Offer

Ship Details: Genco Surprise d.dk 8C Hkg fg built 1998 72495dwt 

Cargo Details: 25,000 MT 10% MOLOO Blk Wheat (sf 46-47`)

Load Port/Discharge Port: One Safe Berth Odessa to One Safe Berth Jeddah 

Freight Rate: USD 33/tonne FIOS 

Arrival and Cancelling Dates: 15/31 August 2015 

Laytime: 12000/9000 Working Days 24 Hours Consecutive Weather Permitted Shipping Sundays and Holidays Excepted (SHEX)

Demurrage & Despatch: Dern USD 8,200pd pro rata D1/2D laytime saved 

Charter Party Contract: Norgrain89 

Total commissions: 1.25 percent of the total freight bill

Any Other Points: Subject Details 

Counter Offer

Accept/Except freight rate (USD 33/tonne FIOT) and arrival and cancelling dates (01/15 August 2015).

Accomplished Bill of Lading

Accomplished bill of lading is a maritime term, which is also used with spent bill of lading term interchangeably.

Accomplished bill of lading is used to define a situation where at least one original copy of bill of lading which has been surrendered to the carrier's agent at the port of discharge in exchange for the goods.

Once an original bill of lading is surrendered to the carrier's agent at the port of discharge, then all original bills of lading copies become void or spent.

According to Simon Baughen spent bill of lading defines a bill of lading which can no longer be used to transfer constructive possession in the goods which it represents, for example, where the person entitled to possession of those goods receives the bill of lading after it has actually taken delivery of the goods.

About

When used in a charter party contract, abt - about, means that  a margin of 5% more or less would apply to quantity of cargo, bunkers or speed.

If it is used in connection with a period of time about refers to usually 15 days, although each case should be considered on its own merit.

Example Usage: Below examples are collected from well-known standard format time charter party contracts under field description of vessel's "Speed Capability in Knots and Fuel Consumption".

NYPE 1946 lines 9 –10
“... and capable of steaming, fully laden, under good weather conditions about ... knots on a consumption of about ... tons of … best grade fuel oil ...”

NYPE 1993 lines 18-20
... Speed about ... knots, fully laden, in good weather conditions up to and including maximum Force... on the Beaufort wind scale, on a consumption of about ... tons of ...

BALTIME 1939

PART I Box 12

Speed capability in knots (abt.) on a consumption in tons (abt.) of m …

PART II lines 10-13

... and fully loaded capable of steaming about the number of knots indicated in Box 12 in good weather and smooth water on a consumption of about the number of tons fuel oil stated in Box 12 ...

Always Accessible or Always Afloat

Always accessible or always afloat is a maritime term which is generally used in charter party contracts. 

This term in charter party contracts which stipulates that the charterer must not order the ship to a port or berth where she would touch the bottom or perhaps be unavailable at any time due to tidal variations.

Example Usage:

Cementvoy 2006 : Voyage charter party for the transportation of bulk cement

It is agreed between the party mentioned in Box 3 as Owners of the Vessel named in Box 5 (hereinafter referred to as “the Owners”) and the party mentioned in Box 4 as Charterers (hereinafter referred to as “the Charterers”) that: The Vessel shall, as soon as her prior commitments have been completed, proceed to the loading port or place stated in Box 8 or so near thereto as she may safely get and there load alongside the berth as nominated or allocated by the Charterers, where she can lie always safely afloat, a full and complete cargo as described in Box 7 which the Charterers bind themselves to ship, and being so loaded the Vessel shall with all reasonable despatch proceed to the discharging port or place stated in Box 9 as ordered on signing Bills of Lading or so near thereto as she may safely get, and there deliver the cargo alongside the berth as nominated or allocated by the Charterers, where she can lie always safely afloat.

What are the differences between voyage and time charter parties?

Chartering of a vessel is maritime term which is used to describe hiring or renting a vessel especially for bulk cargo transportation.

On the previous articles I have explained voyage charter party contracts and time charter party contracts one by one in detail.

Both time and voyage charters are types of charter party contracts that can used when chartering of vessels for bulk cargo carriage.

There are different standard format time and voyage charter party contracts available that can be used with different type of commodity transportation. For example;

• BIMCHEMTIME 2005 is a standard format time charter party contract, which is created by BIMCO, is used when chartering vessels carrying chemicals in bulk.
• Gencon 94 is a standard format voyage charter party contract, which is created by BIMCO, is used when chartering vessels carrying commodity cargoes in bulk.

Today I would like to explain the main differences between voyage charter party contracts and time charter party contracts.