Voyage Charters
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Chapter 26
War Risks (“Voywar 1950”)
| 16. War risks (“Voywar 1950”) | 178 |
|---|---|
| (1) In these clauses “War Risks” shall include any blockade or any | 179 |
| action which is announced as a blockade by any Government or by any | 180 |
| belligerent or by any organized body, sabotage, piracy, and any actual or | 181 |
| threatened war, hostilities, warlike operations, civil war, civil commo- | 182 |
| tion, or revolution. | 183 |
| (2) If at any time before the Vessel commences loading, it appears that | 184 |
| performance of the contract will subject the Vessel or her Master and crew | 185 |
| or her cargo to war risks at any stage of the adventure, the Owners shall be | 186 |
| entitled by letter or telegram despatched to the Charterers, to cancel this | 187 |
| Charter. | 188 |
| (3) The Master shall not be required to load cargo or to continue | 189 |
| loading or to proceed on or to sign Bill(s) of Lading for any adventure | 190 |
| on which or any port at which it appears that the Vessel, her Master | 191 |
| and crew or her cargo will be subjected to war risks. In the event of | 192 |
| the exercise by the Master of his right under this Clause after part or | 193 |
| full cargo has been loaded, the Master shall be at liberty either to | 194 |
| discharge such cargo at the loading port or to proceed therewith. | 195 |
| In the latter case the Vessel shall have liberty to carry other cargo | 196 |
| for Owners’ benefit and accordingly to proceed to and load or | 197 |
| discharge such other cargo at any other port or ports whatsoever, | 198 |
| backwards or forwards, although in a contrary direction to or out of or | 199 |
| beyond the ordinary route. In the event of the Master electing to | 200 |
| proceed with part cargo under this Clause freight shall in any case | 201 |
| be payable on the quantity delivered. | 202 |
| (4) If at the time the Master elects to proceed with part or full | 203 |
| cargo under Clause 3, or after the Vessel has left the loading port, or | 204 |
| the last of the loading ports, if more than one, it appears that further | 205 |
| performance of the contract will subject the Vessel, her Master and | 206 |
| crew or her cargo, to war risks, the cargo shall be discharged, or if | 207 |
| the discharge has been commenced shall be completed, at any safe | 208 |
| port in vicinity of the port of discharge as may be ordered by the | 209 |
| Charterers. If no such orders shall be received from the Charterers | 210 |
| within 48 hours after the Owners have despatched a request by | 211 |
| telegram to the Charterers for the nomination of a substitute discharg | 212 |
| ing port, the Owners shall be at liberty to discharge the Cargo at | 213 |
| any safe port which they may, in their discretion, decide on and | 214 |
| such discharge shall be deemed to be due fulfilment of the contract | 215 |
| of affreightment. In the event of cargo being discharged at any such | 216 |
| other port, the Owners shall be entitled to freight as if the discharge | 217 |
| had been effected at the port or ports named in the Bill(s) of Lading | 218 |
| or to which the Vessel may have been ordered pursuant thereto. | 219 |
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220 |
| or recommendations as to loading, departure, arrival routes, ports | 221 |
| of call, stoppages, destination, zones, waters, discharge, delivery or | 222 |
| in any other wise whatsoever (including any direction or recommendation | 223 |
| not to go to the port of destination or to delay proceeding thereto or to proceed | 224 |
| to some other port) given by any Government or | 225 |
| by any belligerent or by any organized body engaged in civil war, hostilities | 226 |
| or warlike operations or by any person or body acting or purporting to act | 227 |
| as or with the authority of any Government or belligerent or of any such | 228 |
| organized body or by any committee or | 229 |
| person having under the terms of the war risks insurance on the | 230 |
| Vessel, the right to give any such directions or recommendations. | 231 |
| If by reason of or in compliance with any such direction or recommenda- | 231 |
| tion, anything is done or is not done, such shall not be deemed a deviation. | 233 |
| 234 | |
| (b) If, by reason of or in compliance with any such directions or rec- | 235 |
| ommendations, the Vessel does not proceed to the port or ports | 236 |
| named in the Bill(s) of Lading or to which she may have been | 237 |
| ordered pursuant thereto, the Vessel may proceed to any port as di- | 238 |
| rected or recommended or to any safe port which the Owners in | 239 |
| their discretion may decide on and there discharge the cargo. Such | 240 |
| discharge shall be deemed to be due fulfilment of the contract of | 241 |
| affreightment and the Owners shall be entitled to freight as if | 242 |
| discharge had been effected at the port or ports named in the Bill(s) of Lad- | 243 |
| ing or to which the Vessel may have been ordered pursuant thereto. | 244 |
| 245 | |
| (6) All extra expenses (including insurance costs) involved in discharg- | 246 |
| ing cargo at the loading port or in reaching or discharging the cargo | 247 |
| at any port as provided in Clauses 4 and 5(b) hereof shall be paid | 248 |
| by the Charterers and or cargo owners, and the Owners shall have | 249 |
| a lien on the cargo for all moneys due under these Clauses. | 250 |
26.1 The essence of the clause is to give owners who find themselves affected by “War Risks” as defined in the clause1 various rights and liberties to discharge their obligations in ways different from those otherwise stipulated by the charter. The clause contains provisions which overlap the warranties of port safety, which may be express or implied, and those warranties must be construed in the light of the clause and the rights which it confers on owners to impose a veto on employment which would endanger their vessel.2