Answer
Time Charter Checklist for a Chief Engineer
When your company informs you that the vessel is entering a new Time Charter, your primary management focus shifts to protecting the owner from performance claims, managing charterer-supplied fuel quality, and ensuring precise commercial record-keeping.
As Chief Engineer, you must systematically verify the following items:
A. The Charter Party Description "Warranty" (Speed & Consumption)
Action: Request the specific Speed and Consumption Clause extract from the charter party (e.g., BIMCO Standard LPG Time Charter template).
What to Check: Note the exact warranted speeds and consumption limits for both "Laden" and "Ballast" conditions under specified weather parameters (typically up to Beaufort Scale 4 or Sea State 3).
CE Strategy: You must match your main engine and auxiliary parameters to these figures. If the vessel over-consumes or drops speed outside the "About" margin (usually a 5% allowance or 0.5 knots), the charterer can legally deduct money from the hire payment (Performance Claim).
B. The "On-Hire" Bunker Survey
Action: Coordinate and witness a joint On-Hire Bunker Sounding Survey with an independent surveyor appointed by the charterers.
What to Check: Manually sound every single fuel oil, diesel oil, low-sulfur, and lube oil tank simultaneously with the surveyor. Cross-reference the soundings with the ship's official calibration scales, applying correct trim and density corrections.
CE Strategy: The final signed on-hire certificate establishes the exact quantity of bunkers the owner is "selling" to the charterer at the start of the charter. Lock your flow meter counters at this exact moment and log them.
C. Fuel Quality and Bunker Management (MARPOL Compliance)
Because the charterer buys the fuel, they will look for the cheapest option. You must protect your machinery:
Specifications: Check the C/P Fuel Specifications clause (ensure it mandates compliance with ISO 8217:2024 or latest standards, specifying max density, viscosity, Al+Si catalytic fines, and pour point parameters).
Regulatory Compliance: Verify the vessel's fuel setup complies with the latest MARPOL Annex VI regulations for the areas the charterer plans to trade in (e.g., the Canadian Arctic and Norwegian Sea ECAs entering into force for SOx/PM/NOx). Ensure you have designated, certified In-Use Fuel Oil Sampling Points available for Port State Control (PSC).
Electronic BDN Verification: Under current unified interpretations (MEPC.1/Circ.795/Rev.8), if the charterer provides an Electronic Bunker Delivery Note (e-BDN), verify it is tamper-protected, authenticated via a verifiable method (QR code, tracking number, watermark), and immediately back it up to the ship's server to be safely retained for the mandatory 3 years.
D. Reliquefaction and Cargo Machinery Guarantees
For an LPG/Ammonia carrier, time charters contain explicit clauses regarding cargo handling capacity.
What to Check: Check what guarantees the company has given regarding cargo temperature maintenance, boil-off gas gas-freeing timelines, and maximum discharge pump pressure outputs.
CE Strategy: Ensure the cargo compressors, condenser cooling water loops, and deepwell puddle pumps are fully operational on the Planned Maintenance System (PMS) with zero outstanding defects. Any breakdown of the reliquefaction plant causing cargo boil-off venting or venting limits to be breached will put the vessel Off-Hire immediately.
E. Documentation and "Off-Hire" Safeguards
Logbook Integrity: Instruct your team that the Engine Room Logbooks, oil flow-meter readings, and midnight counter printouts must be meticulously accurate. Note exact times of any slowing down (e.g., due to heavy weather, picking up a pilot, navigating restricted waters, or executing a mandatory main engine regular scrub/back-flush).
The "Heavy Weather" Defense: If the vessel loses speed due to rough seas, log full details of the wind force, sea state, and engine RPM parameters. This data is your primary defense against charterer performance disputes.