Demurrage and despatch are two outcomes of the same clock. Laytime is the time allowed for cargo operations; finish late and the charterer pays demurrage, finish early and the owner often pays despatch.
The key differences
- Demurrage: charterer pays the owner for time used beyond laytime.
- Despatch: owner pays the charterer for laytime saved, often at half the demurrage rate.
- Both depend entirely on how laytime is counted from the statement of facts.
Because both turn on the laytime count, a verifiable record settles the question before it becomes a dispute — which is exactly what NAVGreen’s evidence chain provides.