We have received numerous enquries whether a shipowner can refuse to go to a country infected by the Ebola virus (Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone), or to countries in Africa where there is a risk the virus may spread to.
Under most forms of charters, the charterer is obliged to nominate a safe port and it is uncertain whether the Ebola virus which has affected the four countries would make the ports there unsafe.
The legal definition of an unsafe port is well established legally in the case of the (The Eastern City)(1958) which held:
“…a port will not be safe unless in the relevant period of time, the particular ship can reach it, use it, and return from it without, in the absence of abnormal occurrence, being exposed to danger which cannot be avoided by good navigation and seamanship…”
See attached file: ALCO20140045 Ebola – Quarantine Insurance.pdf
埃博拉病毒 – 隔离检疫保险
埃博拉病毒爆发后，我们收到很多咨询，关于船东能否拒绝前往埃博拉病毒疫情国家（几内亚、利比里亚、尼日利亚、塞拉利昂），或有被感染该病毒风险的其他非洲国家。
大多数租约格式下，租家有义务指定安全港口。目前尚不确定，受埃博拉病毒疫情影响的4个国家的港口是否会被认为不安全。
1985年 The Eastern City 一案确定了不安全港口的法律定义：
“…一个港口将是不安全港，除非在一段相关时间内，特定船只可以到达、使用，并且在正常情况下，不会陷于良好船艺不能避免的危险中。…”
详细信息请参阅附件。
