It is compulsory that every foreign flag ship entering an Australian Port must have an agent appointed and paid for by the shipowner.
It is very beneficial for the Ships agent to be also the charterers nominated agent. This can be negotiated in the Charter Party.
One of the many duties of the Ships agent is to compile a “Statement of Facts” and arrange for same to be signed by all parties including the Ships Master. It is this document that is used when calculating Demurrage and Despatch. If this document is drawn up by the ship’s Owners Agent it may be biased toward the ship owner. If this document is prepared by a Professional Charterers Agent who understands the charter party terms and implications, it can be extremely beneficial for the charterer.