Which clause could be found in a COA, but would never be found in a Consecutive Round Voyage Contract?

Which clause could be found in a COA, but would never be found in a Consecutive Round Voyage Contract?

• A. a scheduling clause
• B. a draft adjustment clause
• C. a bunker escalation clause
• D. a force majeure clause

Answer: (A)

In a contract of affreightment the vessel is committed to carry cargo over a period, often covering many voyages. Because the arrangement spans time and quantities, having a scheduling clause helps fix or guide the rolling timetable—laydays, ports, delivery windows, and how delays or changes in the schedule will be handled. It provides a framework for planning across multiple shipments and keeps both sides aligned on when vessels should be available and when cargo should be moved within the period. A Consecutive Round Voyage Contract, by contrast, is built around a sequence of voyages that the same vessel will undertake one after another. The schedule for each voyage is defined by the individual voyage terms, so there isn’t a separate, overarching schedule to manage—the schedule is inherently embedded in the voyage fixtures themselves. Therefore, a standalone scheduling clause isn’t typical in that type of contract. Other clauses like bunker escalation, draft adjustment, or force majeure can appear in both kinds of agreements, but the scheduling clause is the element most characteristic of a COA due to its long‑term, multi-voyage planning nature.

In a contract of affreightment the vessel is committed to carry cargo over a period, often covering many voyages. Because the arrangement spans time and quantities, having a scheduling clause helps fix or guide the rolling timetable—laydays, ports, delivery windows, and how delays or changes in the schedule will be handled. It provides a framework for planning across multiple shipments and keeps both sides aligned on when vessels should be available and when cargo should be moved within the period.

A Consecutive Round Voyage Contract, by contrast, is built around a sequence of voyages that the same vessel will undertake one after another. The schedule for each voyage is defined by the individual voyage terms, so there isn’t a separate, overarching schedule to manage—the schedule is inherently embedded in the voyage fixtures themselves. Therefore, a standalone scheduling clause isn’t typical in that type of contract.

Other clauses like bunker escalation, draft adjustment, or force majeure can appear in both kinds of agreements, but the scheduling clause is the element most characteristic of a COA due to its long‑term, multi-voyage planning nature.