一、船舶准备就绪通知书(Notice of Readiness, NOR)

　　是船舶通知其已准备好开始执行租船合同(交付时)或已准备好装货或卸货的正式文件。

　　二、NOR的提交有两个主要目的

　　(一)是通知租船人船舶已可供其使用。

　　(二)是作为装卸时间或租金开始计算的起始点。

　　三、NOR的有效性

　　NOR的有效性是航次租船合同中常见的争议来源，可能影响租船合同的履行、滞期费的收取以及租船人取消合同的权利。

　　为了提交有效的NOR，需满足以下三个核心条件：

　　(一)船舶必须已抵达约定地点(“抵港船舶”)

　　船舶必须抵达租船合同约定的交付、装货或卸货地点。租船合同通常会明确约定地点，例如港口、码头或泊位。

　　租船合同可能包含与船舶是否为“抵港船舶”相关的附加条款，例如：

　　WIPON(Whether In Port Or Not) – “无论船舶是否在港内”

　　WIBON (Whether In Berth Or Not)– “无论船舶是否在泊位”

　　WICCON (Whether Customs Cleared Or Not)– “无论是否完成海关清关”

　　WIFPON(Whether in Free Pratique Or Not) – “无论是否获得检疫通行证”(这指的是港口在船舶通过主管卫生当局认证为无传染病后，授予船舶进入港口的许可)。

　　这些附加条款的存在可能允许船东比未包含这些条款时更早提交NOR。

　　在泊位租船合同中，船舶必须实际靠泊泊位;而在港口租船合同中，船舶只需抵达港口的商业区域即可提交NOR。

　　(二)船舶必须物理上已准备好

　　船舶必须处于可以立即开始货物作业的状态，并能够随时遵守租船人的装卸指令。这包括货舱适合装货、装卸设备(如起重机、泵等)正常运行，以及船员准备就绪。

　　在航次租船合同中，如果船舶的物理准备不足(如货舱未清洁或设备故障)，提交的NOR将无效。

　　(三)船舶必须法律上已准备好

　　船舶必须完成所有法律和行政要求，包括海关清关、移民和警察批准、健康检查或检疫通行(港口允许船舶进入的许可)。

　　如果租船合同包含“无论是否清关”(WCCON)或“无论是否获得检疫通行证(WIFPON)等条款，船舶可能无需完成某些法律程序即可提交NOR。

　　四、NOR的格式与提交要求

　　根据英国法律，NOR没有特定的格式要求，但必须准确声明船舶已准备好进行交付、装货或卸货。

　　租船合同可能对NOR的格式和提交方式有明确要求，例如通过信函、传真或电子邮件。如果合同未明确规定，电子邮件或书面通知通常被视为有效。

　　一些租船合同规定NOR应在办公时间提交(如当地时间06:00至17:00)。若在非办公时间提交，通常视为下一个工作日办公时间开始时提交。

　　五、无效NOR的处理

　　(一)无效NOR的后果

　　如果NOR无效，装卸时间或租金将不会开始计算。

　　在交付船舶时，若船东提交无效NOR，租船人可能有权在laycan期结束后取消租船合同。

　　在航次租船合同中，若船舶未准备好，租船人可能拒绝接受NOR，并主张装卸时间未开始。

　　(二)无效NOR能否变为有效

　　无效的NOR即使在条件满足后也无法变为有效。必须重新提交新的NOR，以确保时间的准确计算。

　　(三)租船人接受无效NOR的法律后果

　　如果租船人通过行为或明示接受无效的NOR(如下达装货命令)，可能被视为放弃了主张NOR无效的权利。

　　租船人应以“不妨碍租船合同”为前提接受可能无效的NOR，以保留后续索赔的权利。

　　六、总结

　　提交有效的NOR是租船合同履行中的关键步骤。需确保船舶在提交NOR时已满足抵港、物理和法律准备的要求。

　　租船人则需谨慎对待NOR的有效性，避免因接受无效NOR而丧失法律权利。

　　如对NOR的有效性或相关条款存在疑问，建议及时寻求专业法律意见。

　　附录1. NOR争端案例

 

　　附录2.Notice of Readiness (NOR) Example

　　以下是船长或授权代理人可能向租船人、发货人或货物收货人提交的“准备就绪通知”(NOR)示例。请注意，格式和具体细节可能因特定合同、租船合同协议和港口要求而有所不同。确保“准备就绪通知”(NOR)中提供的信息准确且完整至关重要，因为该文件在确定装卸时间的起算以及任何潜在的滞期费或速遣费索赔方面起着关键作用。

　　Notice of Readiness (NOR) Example 1

　　[Date]

　　To:[Charterer/Shipper/Receiver] [Company Name] [Address] [City,Country]

　　Subject: Notice of Readiness for Ship [Ship Name]

　　Dear [Contact Person],

　　We hereby tender Notice of Readiness for the ship [Ship Name] (IMO Number: [IMO Number]) in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Charter Party/ Contract of Affreightment dated [Date of Charter Party/ Contract].

　　Ship details:

　　·Ship Name: [Ship Name]

　　·IMO Number: [IMO Number]

　　·Flag:[Flag]

　　·Gross Tonnage: [Gross Tonnage]

　　·Deadweight Tonnage: [Deadweight Tonnage]

　　Port/Terminal Information:

　　·Port Name: [Port Name]

　　·Terminal/Berth:[Terminal/Berth]

　　·Coordinates:[Latitude], [Longitude]

　　Date and Time of Readiness:

　　·Date:[Date]

　　·Time: [Time, in local time or GMT/UTC as per agreement]

　　The ship has arrived at the designated area, has complied with all necessary regulations, and is ready to commence cargo operations for loading / discharging [Cargo Type] as per the Charter Party/Contract of Affreightment. All required documentation, inspections, and certifications have been completed, and the ship's cargo holds and equipment are in a suitable condition for cargo operations.

　　We kindly request that you acknowledge receipt of this Notice of Readiness and confirm the commencement of laytime accordingly.

　　Yours faithfully,

　　「Master's /Agent's Namel ITitle / Positionl IContact Information:Email/Phone Numberl

　　Notice of Readiness (NOR) Example 2

　　[Shipowner's/Agent's Letterhead]

　　Date: [Date of issuance]

　　To:[Charterer's Name and Address] Attention: [Charterer's Agent or Relevant Person]

　　Subject: Notice of Readiness (NOR)

　　Ship Name: [Ship's Name] IMO Number: [Ship's IMO Number] Port of Registry: [Port of Registry] Gross Tonnage: [Gross Tonnage] Net Tonnage: [Net Tonnage] Deadweight: [Deadweight Tonnage]

　　Dear Sir/Madam,

　　We, the undersigned, as Master/Agent of the ship [Ship's Name], hereby provide this Notice of Readiness in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Charter Party dated [Charter Party Date] between [Shipowner's Name] and [Charterer's Name].

　　We confirm that the ship has arrived at the designated [loading/discharging] port of [Port Name] on [Date and Time of Arrival] and is safely anchored/moored at [Location within Port or Berth Number].

　　The ship is ready in all respects to [load/discharge] the cargo as per the terms of the Charter Party agreement. All necessary clearances,including free pratique and customs clearance, have been obtained. The cargo holds have been prepared, and the ship is in a seaworthy condition to receive the cargo.

　　Please be advised that, in accordance with the Charter Party agreement, laytime will commence [specify the number of hours, e.g., six hours] after the acceptance of this Notice of Readiness, unless otherwise agreed.

　　We kindly request that you acknowledge receipt and acceptance of this Notice of Readiness by signing and returning a copy of this letter.

　　Yours faithfully,

　　[Master's/Agent's Name] [Master's/Agent's Signature]

　　For and on behalf of [Shipowner's Name]

　　Acknowledged and accepted:

　　[Charterer's/Agent's Name] [Charterer's/Agent's Signature] Date: [Date of acceptance]

　　参考资料：

　　1.LCC Guide Notice of Readiness (SHIPOWNERS)

　　2.Defence Guides Notices of readiness in a nutshell(WEST)

　　3.Notice of Readiness(HandyBulk LLC)