Charterers’ Responsibilities

Charterers’ Responsibilities:

• Normally, responsibility for ship loading/discharging operations and for stowage is on shipowners. However, with clear words in charter-party, this responsibility can be transferred to the charterer.
• Clause in a charterparty which confers upon the charterer the right to appoint stevedores does not transfer the responsibility for their acts or omissions.
• Clause in a charterparty which makes the charterer responsible for the expense of employing the stevedores to perform loading, stowage or discharging does not transfer responsibility
• Clause which provides that the charterer shall perform loading, stowage or discharging does transfer responsibility for those operations