Laytime

The maxim that time is quantifiable in money terms is nowhere more applicable than in the context of the laytime allocated for loading and discharging a ship's cargo. Michael Summerskill's book deals with every aspect of laytime; when it begins, when it ends, how it may be suspended and how the expenditure of time is converted into a financial charge against one of the parties. In this 4th edition the author examines a wealth of cases published since the last edition which shed new light on the construction of time honoured charterparty clauses such as "notice of readiness", "weather permitting" and "berth or no berth". Among the important cases discussed are the Court of Appeal decision in "Dow Chemical (Nederland) BV v B.P.Tanker Co Ltd" and the House of Lords' decision in "Societe Anonyme Marocaine de l'Industrie du Raffinage v Notos Maritime Corporation".