CHARTER PARTIES

GENCON - Clause 6

Laytime

Laytime expressed in quantity

LAYDAYS ACCORDING TO A QUANTITY TO BE LOADED OR DISCHARGED

The laytime can also be indicated according to a certain quantity of goods which must be loaded and/or discharged in a specified time. Usually that quantity is expressed per day, but the expressions which are used in the charter parties vary that much, that despite their precision, they often create disputes.

Usual expressions are:

"Loading at a rate of 1000 tons metric per day"

"Loading at a rate of 150 metric tons per day and per hatch"

"Cargo to be loaded and stowed by Charterers at their own risk and expense at a rate of 125 metric tons per workable hatch"

"Cargo to be loaded, stowed and trimmed at a rate of 150 metric tons per available hatch"

"Cargo to be discharged at a rate of not less than 100 metric tons per day"

The terms workable and available mean that only the hatches which are really worked are taken into account and the total laytime is then calculated by dividing the largest quantity of cargo in a hold by the daily agreed quantity per "workable" or "available hatch".

Laydays = Largest quantity in a hold / dayly quantity per hatch x number of gangs in that hatch

This method of calculation is called the main hatch principle. If only one gang works in the main hatch then the number of laydays is equal to the quantity in that main hatch divided by the daily quantity per hatch.

This formula has mainly been established for ships with one hatch but with several hatch coamings so that it is customary to work in these ships with more than one gang. The number of gangs that normally is allowed to work in a hatch must be indicated in the charter party.

The "main hatch principle" is less advantageous for the owner than the expression with only the word "hatch", thus without the words "workable" or "available". In that case the total number of laydays is calculated by dividing the total quantity of the loaded goods by the number of holds, multiplied by the daily quantity, thus:

Laydays = Quantity og goods / dayli quantity x number of hatches

This method of calculation is also called “multiplication system”

Example

A ship has three holds: I, II and III, each with a different size. Hold I has 1500 ton, hold II 2000 ton and hold III 1000 ton of cargo. The ship must discharge 500 tons per day and per hold.

We apply the “multiplication system” thus, 500 tons per hatch per day” which gives:

Laydays = ( I + II + III ) : 500 x 3

= ( 1 500 + 2 000 + 1 000 ) : 500 x 3

= 4 500 : 1 500 = 3 days

If we apply the “main hatch principle” we obtain:

“500 tons per workable hatch per day” thus:

Laydays = II / 500 = 2000 : 500 = 4 days

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