Notice of Readiness
NOR
Meaning
A notice of readiness (NOR) is the master's formal notice that the ship has arrived and is ready in every respect to load or discharge.
Also written as NOR tendered
Notice of Readiness explained
The NOR is what starts the laytime process. It is tendered by the master or agent to the charterer, shipper or receiver once the ship has reached the place the charter requires, usually the customary anchorage or within port limits, and is physically and legally ready to handle cargo.
On most tanker terms laytime then starts after a notice period, commonly six hours, or when the ship is all fast at the berth if that happens first. An NOR given too early, before the ship has arrived or while it is still not ready, may be invalid and can leave the owner with no laytime running at all.
Example
A Suezmax anchors at the customary anchorage at 0600, tenders NOR at 0615, and berths the next day at 1400. Laytime starts at 1215, six hours after NOR, not at berthing.
Watch out for
An invalid NOR is not cured by the charterer starting cargo operations unless the charter or the facts amount to a waiver. Many owners re-tender NOR at every material change, such as on obtaining free pratique, to protect themselves.
Related terms
Laytime
Laytime is the time the charterer is allowed, without paying extra, to load and discharge the cargo under a voyage charter.
Notice time
Notice time is the waiting period, often six hours, between tendering a notice of readiness and laytime starting to count.
Free pratique
Free pratique is the port health authority's clearance that the ship is free of infectious disease and may enter port and contact the shore.
Arrived ship
An arrived ship is one that has reached the point named in the charter where it can tender a valid notice of readiness and start the laytime process.
WIBON
WIBON lets the master tender notice of readiness on arrival even if no berth is free, so waiting time for a berth can count as laytime.
All fast
All fast is the moment the ship is securely moored at the berth, the last mooring line made fast, often used as a trigger for laytime.