The UK Court of Appeal has overturned a judgement in a row over an anchor-handler charter that was cancelled because the Russian charterer, Ark Shipping, failed to keep the ship in class.
The case hinged on whether keeping a ship in class is a condition of the charter so that if it is out of class for a day, the owner can terminate the charterparty and claim damages for the remainder of the term, even if there is little or no effect arising from the lapse.
