I.1 This book concerns time charters. Its focus is time charters of cargo ships, although many aspects of the law set out in the book will be relevant to time charters of any type of ship. The book aims to present the legal principles and decided cases concerning time charters in a manner that will be of practical assistance to parties interested to identify and understand the rights and liabilities arising under them, whether they are negotiating a charter, considering some question arising during the course of a charter, or pursuing or defending legal claims arising out of a charter. Throughout the book, passages on U.S. law are distinguished from those on English law by a margin line, and by an A in the paragraph number.