Illustrative sample

Claims analysis report

The structure of an Optimum Voyage claims analysis, shown with fictional vessel, voyage, weather and consumption data. It follows the same sequence as a real report: the charterparty definition first, then the reconstructed voyage, the qualifying periods, and the calculation behind the result.

Illustrative document. The vessel, IMO number, voyage, charterparty terms, weather and all figures are fictional and created for this page. No client, vessel, voyage or dispute is represented.
Report header

MV NORTHERN SAMPLE, speed and consumption performance

VesselMV NORTHERN SAMPLEBulk carrier, 81,300 dwt
IMO9000000Fictional identifier
VoyageLoad port to discharge port14 Jan to 12 Feb, laden
CharterpartyTime charter, dated 2 JanPerformance clause 29
Prepared forOwner and its ClubTechnical analysis only
BasisVessel reports and hindcastHourly, along the sailed route
Section 1

Charterparty definition applied

Every figure in this report follows from the wording below. Nothing is applied by default: where the clause is silent, that is stated rather than assumed.

Clause elementAs agreedApplied in the analysis
Warranted speedAbout 13.0 knots, laden13.0 knots less 0.5 knot allowance, threshold 12.5 knots
Warranted consumptionAbout 26.0 mt/day VLSFO, plus 0.1 mt/day MGO26.0 mt/day plus 5 per cent, permitted maximum 27.3 mt/day
Good weatherBeaufort force 4 or less, Douglas sea state 3 or less, no adverse swell above 1.25 mTested hour by hour on hindcast data along the sailed route
Duration requirementConsecutive periods of 12 hours or moreShorter periods are recorded but excluded from the result
CurrentsPerformance adjusted for adverse and favourable currentsHourly current effect applied in both directions
ExtrapolationNot provided for in the clauseResults apply to the qualifying periods only, not to the whole voyage
ECA operationReported separatelyECA consumption excluded from the warranty comparison
Section 2

Analysis summary

Qualifying good weather42.5 h3 periods of 12 h or more
Performance speed12.11 knDistance weighted, through water
Permitted speed12.50 knAfter the about allowance
Speed deficiency0.39 knBelow the permitted speed
Time lost1.3 hWithin the qualifying periods
VLSFO over-consumption1.4 mtMGO within warranty

The clause does not provide for extrapolation, so the time loss and over-consumption above are limited to the 42.5 qualifying hours. Applied across the full voyage the figures would be considerably larger, but that would go beyond what this charterparty supports.

Section 3

Good weather periods

Qualifying periods are shaded. Periods that met the weather limits but not the duration or swell requirement are listed with the reason for exclusion, so the selection can be checked rather than taken on trust.

PeriodStart, UTCEnd, UTCHoursMax BFMax seaMax swellCurrentSTWSOGVLSFO
118 Jan 06:0019 Jan 00:0018.0431.1 m+0.1 kn12.20 kn12.30 kn27.9 mt/day
21 Jan 08:0021 Jan 16:008.0320.8 m−0.1 kn12.60 kn12.50 kn26.8 mt/day
224 Jan 00:0024 Jan 14:3014.5320.9 m−0.2 kn12.00 kn11.80 kn28.4 mt/day
27 Jan 00:0028 Jan 00:0024.0431.6 m−0.3 kn11.70 kn11.40 kn28.9 mt/day
330 Jan 12:0030 Jan 22:0010.0431.2 m0.0 kn12.10 kn12.10 kn28.0 mt/day
Qualifying total42.512.11 kn28.1 mt/day
  • 21 Jan, excluded: 8.0 continuous hours, short of the 12 hour requirement. Had it qualified, it would have counted in the vessel's favour.
  • 27 Jan, excluded: swell reached 1.6 m against the 1.25 m limit in the clause.
Section 4

Performance calculation

StepBasisResult
Distance in qualifying periodsThrough water, hourly integration514.6 nm
Time in qualifying periodsSum of the three periods42.5 h
Performance speed514.6 nm divided by 42.5 h12.11 kn
Permitted speed13.0 kn less the 0.5 kn allowance12.50 kn
Speed deficiency12.50 kn less 12.11 kn0.39 kn
Time lost514.6 / 12.11 less 514.6 / 12.501.3 h
Consumption reportedWeighted average over the qualifying periods28.1 mt/day
Permitted maximum26.0 mt/day plus 5 per cent27.3 mt/day
Over-consumption, 0.8 mt/day over 42.5 h1.4 mt VLSFO

Every line can be traced back to the reported data and the hindcast. Where a value depends on an assumption, the assumption is stated in section 7 rather than absorbed into the result.

Section 5

Reconstructed voyage

The sailed route with the three qualifying periods marked. In the delivered report this is drawn on chart, with hourly wind, sea, swell and current conditions available along the track.

Departure Arrival Period 1 Period 2 Period 3

Schematic representation, not a navigational chart.

Section 6

Extended voyage analysis

Reported voyage data alongside the reconstructed conditions, day by day, for the whole voyage and not only the qualifying periods.

Noon, UTCBFSeaSwellCurrentSOGSTWSlipMEAERemark
17 Jan 12:00541.8 m−0.4 kn11.20 kn11.60 kn4.8%28.62.1Head sea
18 Jan 12:00431.1 m+0.1 kn12.30 kn12.20 kn3.1%27.92.0Period 1
21 Jan 12:00320.8 m−0.1 kn12.50 kn12.60 kn2.7%26.82.0Short period
24 Jan 12:00320.9 m−0.2 kn11.80 kn12.00 kn3.4%28.42.1Period 2
27 Jan 12:00431.6 m−0.3 kn11.40 kn11.70 kn4.1%28.92.2Swell above limit
30 Jan 12:00431.2 m0.0 kn12.10 kn12.10 kn3.2%28.02.0Period 3

ME and AE consumption in mt/day. In the delivered report every noon report of the voyage is included, with reporting gaps and inconsistencies flagged.

Section 7

Assumptions and limitations

  • Reported speeds, distances and consumption are taken as submitted. Where reports are inconsistent with position data, this is flagged rather than corrected silently.
  • Weather and current conditions are hindcast values along the sailed route, not observations from the bridge. Reported and hindcast weather are compared where the clause makes the reported figures relevant.
  • Speed through water is used for the performance comparison, with the current effect calculated hourly.
  • The result covers the qualifying periods only, because this clause does not provide for extrapolation.
  • A different methodology, or additional data such as deck and engine logs, may change the figures. Any conclusion depends on the underlying data, the assumptions and the method applied.

This is technical and operational analysis. Legal interpretation of the clause, advocacy and dispute strategy remain with the client, its Club, legal counsel and appointed experts.

Send us the charterparty recap, the claim and the voyage data, and we will tell you what the analysis supports.

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