Thenew amendments seek to address the risk owners face when a vessel is waitingoutside a port before being allocated a berth to discharge or load cargo.
Theamendments by Intertanko’s documentary committee, which apply to time and voyagecharter parties, now give shipowners a choice of waiting place.
“Ifthe customary anchorage is not safe the vessel may wait somewhere else e.g.several miles off port limits drifting out of range of pirates,” the clause nowreads.
“Ifan owner does this, any notice of readiness (NOR) will be given from thatwaiting place and time for the purposes of laytime and demurrage will run fromthat point. No further NOR would be required.”
Chartererswill be obliged to pay owners additional freight calculated at the demurragerate for all time spent as a consequence of exercising the right to waitfurther offshore, together with the cost of all additional bunkers, insurancepremiums, and crew or other costs incurred as a result of actual or threatenedpiracy.
Intertankoconsiders that the remainder of its existing model piracy clauses issufficiently robust to cover other piracy issues relating to the Gulf of Guineaincluding the provision of additional insurances.
WestAfrican piracy made up 19% of attacks worldwide last year, according to figuresfrom the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
Nigerianpirates and armed robbers accounted for 31 of the region’s 51 attacks, taking49 people hostage and kidnapping 36, more than in any year since 2008.
Nigerianpirates ventured far into waters off Gabon, Ivory Coast and Togo, where theywere linked with at least five of the region’s seven reported vesselhijackings.
OnWednesday a Dynacom Tankers vessel was reported missing off Angola in a movesecurity experts believe represents a significant extension of maritime crimeemanating from the Gulf of Guinea region.
