New International and IMO requirements are increasingly required to be complied by vessels by a certain date in the future.
When a vessel is sold, the question is whether the vessel must meet all such new regulations at the time of delivery when these regulations were not applicable to vessels at the time of the MOA sale contract.
In the case of Polestar Maritime v YHM Shipping, a sale contract was concluded. At that time both sellers and buyers were aware all vessels had to obtain an International Pollution Prevention Certificate by September 2008, but the sellers had applied for a dispensation to obtain this certificate by that time and at the time of vessel’s delivery the vessel did not have an ISPP certificate as required for international trading. Between the conclusion of the MOA sale contract and the date of delivery the vessel’s market price had halved and the buyers refused to take delivery on the ground the sellers had failed to make the vessel seaworthy in obtaining an internationally compulsory trading certificate.
The case went to arbitration where it was held the buyers were entitled to cancel the sale contract. This judgement was reversed in the High Court on the following reasoning.
Clause 11 of the Norwegian Saleform 1993 stated as follows :
“The vessel …….shall be delivered and taken over as she was at the time of inspection, fair wear and tear excepted.
However the vessel shall be delivered with her class maintained….as well as other certificates the vessel had at the time of inspection, valid and unextended….at the time of delivery…..If the vessel is taken over without inspection the date of this Agreement shall be the relevant date.”
The judgement for the sellers was based on a strict interpretation of Clause 11 as Clause 11 said only the certificates at the time of inspection or MOA contract need to be valid. Additionally, the High Court said it would be commercially very difficult for the sellers to forsee the additional International requirements which would be required in the future after signing the MOA contract and the additional expenses of complying with these new requirements would not have been taken into account in the agreed sale price.
Comments :
- Sellers contracting under the Norwegian Saleform 1993 benefit in not being subjected to additional risk and expenses of complying with subsequent International and IMO requirements after the date of inspection or conclusion of the MOA sale contract.
- The words in Clause 11 “…certificates the vessel had at the time of inspection…” could be amended by the buyers and sellers should be cautious to understand the legal consequences. A deletion of the words “…at the time of inspection…” would evidently place the sellers under an obligation to comply with all new International IMO requirements subsequent to the date of the MOA sale contract.
- Clause 11 could also be amended to place on the sellers an obligation to comply with all new International requirements at the time of delivery, if these requirements were forseeable or known to be complied in the future at the time of inspection or date of the MOA sale contract.
See attached file : ALCO20120034Certificates at time of sale.pdf
船舶买卖时的证书
今后船舶需要遵守越来越多的国际社会新要求及国际海事组织的新要求。
出售船舶时存在这样一个问题，即船舶是否必须满足交船时所有的国际新规定，如果在签订协议备忘录（销售合同）时，这些规定并不适用于该船舶的话。
Polestar Maritime v YHM Shipping 一案中，销售合同已经签订。当时，买卖双方都意识到，在2008年9月前所有船舶必须获得一份国际防污染证书，但是卖方当时已经申请豁免该证书，因此在交船时船舶不具有进行国际航行所要求的《国际防止生活污水污染证书》（ISPP）。在协议备忘录（销售合同）签订日与交船日之间，船舶的市场价格降低了一半，买方因而拒绝接受船舶，理由是卖方不具有使船舶适航的国际航行强制证书。
这一案件被提请仲裁，仲裁裁决买方有权取消销售合同。英国高院依据以下理由推翻了这一裁决。
1993年挪威船舶买卖标准格式，第11条规定：
“船舶……在交付和接受时应当具有检验时的相同状态，但是船舶本身的自然磨损除外。
但是，船舶在交付时应保持船级不变，并且具有船舶在检验时的其他证书，有效并且不处于展期期间……交付时……如果船舶没有接受检验，本协议签订的日期为相关日期。”
对于卖方的判决是基于对第11条的严格解释，因为第11条中规定，仅检验时的证书或者协议备忘录合同签订时的证书需有效。另外，高院认为，从商业的角度，卖方很难预见签订协议备忘录合同之后出台的额外的国际要求，并且为遵守新要求而支出的额外费用并没有考虑在双方认可的销售价格之中。
建议：
- 卖方根据1993年挪威船舶买卖标准格式签订合同，不应该承担额外风险以及为了遵守检验日期或签订协议备忘录（销售合同）之后出台的国际性要求及国际海事组织要求而支出费用。
- 第11条中的措辞 “… 船舶检验时的证书…” 可以由买方修改，卖方应谨慎理解其法律后果。删除 “…检验时…” 的字样，将显然使卖方有义务遵守协议备忘录（销售合同）签订之后所有新的国际性要求及国际海事组织的要求。
- 第11条也可以被修改为，如果在检验时或签订协议备忘录（销售合同）时，可以预见或知道船舶日后要遵守一些新的国际要求，则卖方有义务确保在交船时满足所有新的国际要求。
以上由 ANDREW LIU & CO.,LTD 编译，应以英文为准！
详细信息请参阅附件。
