Just a short question to charter party BL

[cristiand969]

Dear all,
may I have your oppinion in the following scenario:
L/C requires Charter party and to be signed by master or vessel's agent.
As per art. 22 a Charter party B/L can also be signed by agent of the vessel or agent of owner or charterer.
How can be intepreted vessel's agent in this contex. Agent of master or agent of owner, charterer or both?
regards
Cristian

[shahriar]

i have rarely heard the term vessel agent.the service provided by a vessel's agent is similar to that of well know port agent. generally a port agent looks after the vessel when its at a port. he is the agent of the shipowner and may also be the agent of the charterer. it has so many functions for do. im avoiding them right now. yes i have found references where port agents are allowed to sign a bill of lading but in transport industry context and not in UCP context. i would consider a port agent as an agent of the vessel owner or charterer and an agent of the master.

[iLC]

i agree on this issue. the USGLSA defines a vessel agent as

An agent represents a vessel's Owner or Operator at each U.S. port-of-call and takes care of the needs of that vessel and its crew while there. Commonly, the vessel has just sailed from a foreign port and has numerous governmental regulatory requirements which must be met. The agent has a working knowledge of each requirement and stays current as they change - which they often do! A vessel agent can help with any vessel operation and need - whether commercial or private, international or domestic - while in the port(s) they cover. In fact, the vessel agent is the best first call if there are questions about a particular port, terminal, or operation.

Everything about an agent is "local", The agent understands the local culture, rules and conditions, and interfaces with the local government agency representatives, working to make a port call safe, efficient and productive. A ship agent is on call 24 hours a day when the ship is in port and readying for a visit or finalizing paperwork once it has departed. Being a vessel agent is a unique job and one which can provide the most extraordinary insights to commercial maritime activity in the Great Lakes.

[Ozoda]

Hi,

I agree with Shahriar.
As per UCP 600 Charter party Bill of Lading may be signed by:
- the master or a named agent for or on behalf of the master, or
- the owner or a named agent for or on behalf of the owner, or
- the charterer or a named agent for or on behalf of the charterer.