Owners warned not to use virus to avoid China port calls
The maritime law firm Clyde & Co says port calls in China may not legally be refused on the grounds that the coronavirus threat renders them ‘unsafe’
Time charters require charterers to nominate a safe port for the vessel, but that typically covers the physical characteristics of the port, or weather conditions. With regard to coronavirus, strong evidence would be needed to demonstrate the substance of the risk and the unsafety of the port, warns Clyde & Co