Laytime & demurrage
Narrowing the laycan
Meaning
Narrowing the laycan means the charterer shortening a wide laycan window, as the charter allows, to a firmer arrival window closer to the date.
Narrowing the laycan explained
Fixtures for cargoes some weeks ahead are often concluded with a wide laycan, for example ten days, with the charterer given the right to narrow it to two or three days by a set deadline. That lets the charterer line up the cargo and terminal slot before committing the ship to a tight window.
The owner needs to see the narrowed window in good time to plan the ballast leg and bunkers. If the charterer fails to narrow by the deadline, the charter usually says what window applies.