5 [1974] Vol. 1 Lloyd's Rep. 86 ALMA SHIPPING CORPORATION OFMONROVIA v. MANTOVANI(THE "DIONE") 高院
-Held, by Mocatta, J., that (1) the date for redelivery under a time charter-party was not an inflexible one (see p. 93, col. 1);
-Watson S.S. Co. v. Merryweather & Co., (1913) 18 Com. Cas. 294, and Timber Shipping Co. S.A. v. London & Overseas Freighters Ltd., [1972] A.C.1.; [1971] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 523, applied.
租约下还船并非是一个没有弹性的时间(前提是没有相反的明示约定)
(2) in the absence of very special words in the charter-party no breach was committed by the charterers in ordering a vessel on her last voyage knowing that she would not be redelivered until later than the last date mentioned for redelivery provided that at the date of the order, there were no reasonable grounds for anticipating that the overlap would not exceed a reasonable tolerance (see p. 94, col. 1);
-Gray & Co. v. Christie & Co., (1889) 5 T.L.R. 577, applied.
在租约缺乏明示的条文下,租家在指示最后一个航次上并没有违约,条件是在发布指示的方面,没有合理的理由预计超过的时间不会超过合理的偏差
(3) assuming that the arbitrators would have decided that the extension from Sept. 28 to the expected date of redelivery about the middle of October/ at the time when the charterers ordered the vessel on the third voyage was unreasonably long, there was a technical breach of contract (see p. 93, col. 2); but in view of the fact that redelivery had taken place within 8 days after the time fixed for redelivery and this was a reasonable time, the owners could recover no more than nominal damages (see p. 43, col. 2; 94, col. 1);
(1)合约条款Whether on the true construction of the charter the Charterers were or were not in breach in failing to redeliver the Dione for 8.416 days after the latest date for redelivery specified in Clause 1 of the charter; namely 28th September 1970.
晚还船是否是违约 逻辑在于第一解释合约条款的租约期 第二是否是合法航次 第三延迟还船是否属于双方的违约
2. Under Clause 1 of the charter (a copy of which is attached hereto and forms part of this Award) the Dione was time-chartered by her Owners to the Charterers for a period of six months 20 days more or less, in the Charterers' option, from the time she was put at the Charterers' disposal at Savannah.
Watson Steamship Co. v. Merryweather & Co., (1913) 18 Com. Cas. 294
In the second case the terms of the charter were that the vessel the Hugin was chartered on time charter terms "from 15/31 May, 1912, until 15/31 October, 1912". There was also a provision as follows:
. . . The charterers shall pay for the use and hire of the said vessel £615 sterling per calendar month, commencing on and from the date of her delivery, as aforesaid, and at and after the same rate for any part of a month; hire to continue from the time specified for terminating the charter until her re-delivery to owners (unless lost) at a port on east coast of the United Kingdom between 15th and 31st October, 1912.
Clause 5, which I have read out, was in print save for the last words, namely, "between 15th and 31st October, 1912", which were in writing. By reason of those words Mr. Justice Atkin decided the issue in favour of the owners. It was only by reason of those words that he so decided. He was unable to give those words any meaning unless their purport was to make Oct. 31 the last permitted date for re-delivery, and to produce the result that re-delivery thereafter was in breach of contract. That was his decision, but before coming to that decision he said much of what the general position would be but for so special a clause as the one mentioned. I read from p. 300.
Clearly Mr. Justice Atkin was expressing the opinion that no breach of contract was committed if before the last date expressly mentioned in the time charter for re-delivery the charterers ordered the vessel on a new voyage knowing that that could not be completed by that date. The limitation on the power, as appears from the passage I have read, is that such an order must not be an unreasonable one.(我认为的合理是在合理的期限内还船,比如3天或者5天)
当租家知道这个航次不能在那个租约下固定的时间完成航次的时候并不算违约,这个指令不能是一个不合理的
If the clause in the charter-party remained as printed, I think there is nothing in the facts which would entitle the owners to say that the charterers had committed a breach of contract, because what has been found is that on October 18 the vessel was at West Hartlepool, and there was despatched to St. Petersburg, and that it was impossible to perform that voyage and re-deliver the vessel to the owners by October 31, and that that was known to the charterers. . . . There is no finding that the voyage to St. Petersburg was not a reasonable voyage, or that the period of 20 days was an unreasonable period . . .
首先是解释租约
上诉庭 [1975] Vol. 1 Lloyd's Rep. 115
(1)本案事实:租家没有合理的理由在明示的偏差和默示的偏差内还船,Charter-party (Time) - Redelivery - Vessel chartered for 6 months and 20 days from delivery - Vessel sent by charterers on final voyage near end of charter period - Reasonable expectation that redelivery would be about 16 days late - Vessel redelivered 8 days late - Whether charterers in breach of contract - Baltime 1939 form, cl. 1.
-Held, by C.A. (Lord Denning, M.R., and Browne, L.J., Orr, L.J., dissenting) that (i) cl. 1 of the charter-party expressly defined the margin as "20 days more or less" and it was the duty of the charterers to deliver the vessel by the "20 days more" i.e. by Sept. 28, 1970 (see p. 118, cols. 1 and 2; p. 119, col. 2; p. 120, col. 1; p. 121, cols. 1 and 2; p. 123, col. 1);
-Dictum of Lord Reid in The London Explorer, [1972] A.C. 1; [1971] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 523, applied.
-Watson SS. Co. v. Merryweather & Co., (1913) 18 Com.Cas. 294, distinguished.
(ii) (by Lord Denning, M.R.), it was illegitimate for the charterers to send the vessel on the third voyage as they could not reasonably have expected it to complete the voyage by Sept. 28 (see p. 118, col. 1);
(iii) (by Orr and Browne, L.JJ.) that since the arbitrators had held that 8.416 days were "within the reasonable elasticity which it is proper to allow" the Court could not go behind this finding (see p. 119, col. 2; p. 120, col. 1; p. 123, col. 2);
(iv) since the charterers had failed to redeliver the vessel within the permitted margin they must pay the charter rate up to Sept. 28 and the market rate thereafter (see p. 118, col. 1; p. 123, col. 1);
-Prebensens Dampskibsselskabet A/S v. Munson S.S. Line, (1919) 258 Fed. R. 227 applied.
Appeal allowed. Charterers to pay the owners £6058 and interest at 712 per cent. from Oct. 1, 1970.
Per Lord Denning, M.R., (at p. 118): If the charterer sends the vessel on an illegitimate last voyage - that is a voyage which it cannot be expected to complete within the charter period, then the shipowner is entitled to refuse that direction and call for another direction for a legitimate last voyage. If the charterer refuses to give it, the shipowner can accept his conduct as a breach going to the root of the contract, fix a fresh charter for the vessel, and sue for damages. If the shipowner accepts the direction and goes on the illegitimate last voyage, he is entitled to be paid - for the excess period - at the current market rate, and not at the charter rate . . .如果租家发布一个非法的最后的航次指令,船东有权拒绝执行这个指令,一旦拒绝这个指令可以要求租家发布下一个合法的航次指令,如果租家拒绝给予这种合法的指令,船东可以接受这个违约,重新制定一个租约,并且寻求损害赔偿,但是如果船东执行了这非法航次,他可以要求超过期间支付市场租金(这个类似本案 市场租金上涨,如果市场租金下降则按照贵族院london exploer的判例)
(2)LORD DENNING:(d) If the charterer sends the vessel on a legitimate last voyage - that is, a voyage which it is reasonably expected will be completed by the end of the charter period, the shipowner must obey the directions. If the vessel is afterwards delayed by matters for which neither party is responsible, the charter is presumed to continue in operation until the end of that voyage, even though it extends beyond the charter period. The hire is payable at the charter rate until redelivery, even though the marketrate may have gone up or down, see Timber Shipping Co. S.A. v. London & Overseas Freighters Ltd., [1972] A.C. 1; [1971] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 523.
关于在合法的航次下,由于双方不能控制的原因导致延迟还船,合约继续有效租家没有违约,租家仍是按照租约的租金支付(这个仍有疑问)
I would prefer to follow Lord Reid, who said (at pp. 15 and 527) that on a certain view. . . the 15 days more or less was intended to define the degree of flexibility and to oust the ordinary presumption of flexibility.
这个LORD DENNING的逻辑思路是解释租约期间并没有默示,然后在说这是一个非法的航次,晚还船更是一个违约,需要支付更加高额的租金 |