Safe port
Meaning
A safe port is one the ship can reach, use and leave without being exposed to danger that good seamanship can't avoid; charterers usually warrant it.
Also written as Safe berth, Safe port warranty
Safe port explained
If a charterer nominates a port that turns out to be unsafe, physically or politically, at the time of nomination and the ship is damaged as a result, the charterer can be liable. The test looks at whether the danger was abnormal and foreseeable.
Safe berth and “always afloat” wording work the same way for the berth itself.
Related terms
Always afloat
Always afloat (AA) means the ship must be able to stay afloat at all states of the tide at the berth or place it is ordered to.
War risks clause
A war risks clause sets out what the owner may do, and who pays extra costs, if the voyage is exposed to war, piracy, terrorism or similar dangers.
Deviation
Deviation is departing from the agreed or customary route of the voyage, which is only allowed for reasons the charter or law permits.