Which party makes the declaration that the ship has arrived and is ready to load?

Which party makes the declaration that the ship has arrived and is ready to load?

• A. Master or agent
• B. Charterer
• C. Shipper
• D. Broker

Answer: (A)

In this context, the formal declaration that the vessel has arrived at the loading port and is ready to begin cargo operations is the Notice of Readiness. This notice is issued by the ship’s master (captain) or by the ship’s local agent acting on behalf of the master. It marks the vessel’s readiness to load and typically starts the running of laytime under the charterparty, which in turn affects demurrage or dispatch calculations. The charterer, the shipper, or a broker does not issue this declaration as a matter of routine operational procedure. The master is the person in command of the vessel and the agent is the authorized representative in port, so they are the ones empowered to formally declare readiness to load.

In this context, the formal declaration that the vessel has arrived at the loading port and is ready to begin cargo operations is the Notice of Readiness. This notice is issued by the ship’s master (captain) or by the ship’s local agent acting on behalf of the master. It marks the vessel’s readiness to load and typically starts the running of laytime under the charterparty, which in turn affects demurrage or dispatch calculations.

The charterer, the shipper, or a broker does not issue this declaration as a matter of routine operational procedure. The master is the person in command of the vessel and the agent is the authorized representative in port, so they are the ones empowered to formally declare readiness to load.