Classification was once viewed as a measure of the vessel’s suitability for the carriage of cargoes and particularly of seaworthiness. Whilst charterparties now contain a warranty that the owners will, in general, exercise due diligence to maintain a vessel’s class throughout the charter, in practice, where the withdrawal of a vessel’s class is justified due to the condition of the vessel, then in general the vessel may be deemed unseaworthy and the charterers will, usually, have a right to claim damages for breach of charterparty. Generally, provisions relating to the vessel’s class, flag and/or nationality all apply from the date of the charterparty. However, generally there is no continuing obligation in relation to class whereas in relation to flag and nationality there is generally an implied term that the vessel’s flag and nationality will not change throughout the duration of the charterparty. Flag and nationality can be important in relation to the carriage of cargo between certain ports.