6.1 Signature of bill of lading under time charter

Standard forms of a time charter usually contain an ‘employment and indemnity’ clause, which, inter alia, provides that the master shall sign bills of lading ‘as presented by charterers, without prejudice to charter’. This clause is a result of the fact that in a time charter the shipowner transfers the commercial management of his vessel to the charterer, which includes the power to issue bills of lading.