How to Talk to a Shipowner When a Vessel is Delayed
A 38-hour vessel delay can disrupt an entire terminal schedule and generate penalties no one wants to pay. At Gdynia Maritime Dialogue, we daily see how communication errors with the shipowner cost local companies 4,200 PLN and up for every day of delay. Below we describe how to stick hard to facts and documents so as not to be left with the bill for others' mistakes.
Real Cost of a 42-Hour Delay
Ships rarely arrive perfectly on time, but the difference between a one-hour slip and a 42-hour hole in the schedule is colossal. When a commercial vessel passes the approach buoy two days later than assumed in the charter, cargo storage costs at the quay increase by about 14% each day. We have seen cases in the port of Gdynia where a lack of quick response to an email from the shipowner at 3:15 AM resulted in the loss of a transshipment window and the need to wait another 4 days for a free crane.
The key is understanding that the shipowner plays for their own result, and every minute of engine work is fuel, which means pure cost. If a ship got stuck in straits or had a generator failure on November 12, you must have this fact recorded in the logbook. Without a specific hour of the failure, you have no grounds to renegotiate demurrage rates. Quayside practice teaches that facts count, not promises.
A 38-hour delay can generate penalties of around 4,200 PLN for every day of quayside laytime.
Verification of Notice of Readiness (NOR)
The biggest disputes in maritime law erupt over the Notice of Readiness document. It often happens that a captain reports the ship's readiness to unload, even though the vessel is still at the roads and has no physical possibility of approaching the quay due to strong winds exceeding 17 knots. If you accept such a document without checking the actual situation in the port, free time will start ticking to your disadvantage.
At GMD, we recommend that our clients check the ship's AIS position and weather reports for specific time windows every time. In October 2024, we helped one of our bulk cargo recipients avoid a penalty of 12,600 PLN just because we proved that the ship was not technically ready to open hatches at the time of notification. These are hard charter terms.
Face-to-Face Negotiations with the Agent
Once you know the ship won't arrive on time, don't wait for an official letter. A call to the maritime agent in Gdynia or Gdansk should be made within the first 2 hours of obtaining information about the delay. You must ask for the specific reason: is it weather, or perhaps a crew planning error at the previous port. If the reason is operational on the shipowner's side, you have the right to demand a freight rate reduction.
Remember that the agent is a mediator who also wants to close the case without unnecessary talk. Present him with a ready scenario: either the shipowner takes the costs of 11 canceled truck trips, or the case goes to an official sea protest. Such argumentation, backed by specific numbers and confirmations from transport companies, usually cuts the discussion short.
Present the agent with a ready scenario: either the shipowner covers the costs of 11 canceled trucks, or we enter the protest path.
Summary and Documentation of Findings
Every discussion about maritime law must end with written confirmation. Even if you agreed on something 'verbally' at the Helsinki Quay, without a scan with the shipowner's signature and stamp, it's just an opinion. At Gdynia Maritime Dialogue, we apply a simple rule: every change in the schedule must hit an annex within 24 hours. This is the only way to protect the interests of the shipowner and the shipper.
In the maritime industry, mistakes cost a fortune. If a ship was late by those 42 hours and you have it in black and white that it was due to poorly conducted bunkering in the port of Hamburg, your negotiating position is unshakeable. Don't be brushed off with generalities about 'difficult conditions at sea' when radars showed calm water. Only evidence delivered on time matters.
