Understanding Laytime, NOR and Demurrage in Bulk Coal Shipping
Laytime starts when contract conditions say it starts—not necessarily when the master tenders NOR. In coal trades, berth availability, cargo readiness, and customs formalities often decide the clock.
Notice of readiness is one of the most contested documents in bulk coal shipping. Whether NOR is validly tendered depends on charterparty wording, whether the berth is reachable and available, and whether the vessel is in fact ready to load or discharge.
Laytime concepts coal teams should track
- Whether laytime is fixed, reversible, or calculated per charterparty form
- Weather working or not-working exceptions and local practice
- Time lost waiting for berth vs time counted once alongside
- Shifting between anchorage and berth under charterparty exceptions
- Interruption for cargo quality inspections or hold failures
Clean statement-of-facts records and early laytime recaps reduce demurrage surprises. Teams should reconcile NOR logs, berth logs, and cargo operation stops before positions harden.
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