professional-toolkit/skills/charter-party-extractor/SKILL.md

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charter-party-term-extractor

Extract and structure key commercial terms from chartering agreements (voyage charter parties, time charter parties, bareboat charters). Use this skill when a user mentions charter party, charterparty, C/P, voyage charter, time charter, bareboat, demurrage, laytime, laycan, hire rate, ship broking, BIMCO, Gencon, NYPE, Shelltime, Baltime, or any shipping fixture recap. Also trigger when users need to compare charter terms, review a fixture, prepare a broker's recap, or assess sanctions clauses in a shipping contract.

Charter Party Term Extractor

Extract, structure, and summarize key commercial terms from chartering agreements. Produces a standardized summary that brokers, charterers, owners, and P&I correspondents can review quickly without reading the full charter party.

When to Use

• You have a charter party and need a structured summary of key terms
• You need to compare terms across multiple fixtures
• You are reviewing a broker's recap before finalizing a fixture
• You need to identify sanctions-related clauses in a charter party
• You are auditing charter party terms for compliance purposes

Core Principle

A charter party is a commercial agreement with legal consequences. Terms that seem boilerplate — sanctions clauses, EEXI/CII compliance, off-hire provisions — can create significant financial exposure. This skill extracts all commercially significant terms into a structured format, flagging areas that require attention.

Input Requirements

Ask the user to provide:

1. The charter party document (or fixture recap / main terms)
2. Charter type (voyage, time, bareboat) if not obvious from the document
3. Standard form (Gencon 1994, NYPE 2015, Baltime 1939/2001, Shelltime 4, etc.) if identifiable
4. Any riders or addenda that modify the standard form

Term Extraction Categories

A. Fixture Identification

Field	Description
Charter party date	Date of the fixture
Standard form	Base form (e.g., Gencon 1994 as amended)
Owners	Registered owner or disponent owner name
Charterers	Charterer name and principal if applicable
Brokers	Broker(s) and commission rates
Vessel	Name, IMO number, flag, class, built year
Vessel particulars	DWT, GRT/NRT, LOA, beam, draft, holds/hatches, gear

B. Commercial Terms (Voyage Charter)

Field	Description
Cargo	Type, quantity (min/max), stowage factor
Loading port(s)	Named port(s) or range
Discharge port(s)	Named port(s) or range
Laycan	Earliest/latest dates for vessel presentation
Freight rate	Rate per MT, lumpsum, or worldscale
Freight payment	Prepaid or payable on delivery; payment terms; banking details
Deadfreight	Rate and conditions
Laytime	Hours allowed for loading and discharge (SHINC, SHEX, WWD)
Demurrage rate	Daily/hourly rate; time bar for claims
Despatch rate	Rate (typically half demurrage); whether on all time saved or working time saved
NOR tendering	When and how Notice of Readiness is tendered (WIBON, WIFPON, WCCON)

C. Commercial Terms (Time Charter)

Field	Description
Charter period	Duration (firm period + options)
Delivery range	Place and date range for delivery
Redelivery range	Place and date range for redelivery
Hire rate	Daily rate; currency; payment frequency
Payment terms	When hire is due; grace period; anti-technicality clause
Off-hire	Events triggering off-hire; rate reduction vs. full off-hire
Speed and consumption	Warranted speed (laden/ballast); fuel consumption (IFO/MGO)
Bunker prices	On delivery and redelivery; price adjustment mechanism
Trading limits	Permitted trading area; excluded zones

D. Sanctions and Compliance

Field	Description
Sanctions clause	Which sanctions regimes apply (US/OFAC, EU, UK, UN)
Designated persons screening	Whether parties must screen against SDN/consolidated lists
Ship-to-ship transfer	Restrictions on STS operations
AIS requirements	Obligations to keep AIS transponder operational
Country exclusions	Named countries where the vessel may not trade
Compliance documentation	What evidence of compliance must be provided
Termination right	Whether sanctions non-compliance triggers termination

Post-Tonzip Maritime v 2Rivers MMTC (English Commercial Court, 2024): Sanctions clauses should require "documented, evidence-based, contextual analysis" rather than mere suspicion. Extract the exact wording of the sanctions clause and flag whether it meets this standard.

E. Insurance and Liability

Field	Description
P&I Club	Owner's P&I insurer
H&M value	Hull and machinery insured value
War risks	Coverage and additional premium provisions
Cargo insurance	Responsibility and minimum coverage
Limitation of liability	Any caps on owner/charterer liability

F. Dispute Resolution

Field	Description
Governing law	English, New York, Singapore, etc.
Arbitration	London (LMAA), New York (SMA), Singapore (SIAC), etc.
Number of arbitrators	Sole arbitrator threshold; panel composition
Time bar	Limitation period for claims

G. Environmental / Regulatory

Field	Description
EEXI compliance	Whether vessel meets Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index requirements
CII rating	Current Carbon Intensity Indicator rating and provisions for deterioration
ETS obligations	EU/UK Emissions Trading System responsibility
Ballast water	Compliance with BWM Convention
Scrubber	Open-loop scrubber restrictions in trading area

Output Format

# Charter Party Summary

## Fixture
- **Date:** [date]
- **Form:** [standard form + amendments]
- **Type:** [Voyage / Time / Bareboat]
- **Owners:** [name]
- **Charterers:** [name]
- **Vessel:** [name] (IMO [number], [flag], [DWT] DWT, built [year])
- **Brokers:** [name(s)] @ [commission]%

## Key Commercial Terms
[Structured table of terms per category B or C above]

## Sanctions & Compliance
[Extract of sanctions clause verbatim, plus structured assessment]
- **Regimes covered:** [US/EU/UK/UN]
- **Tonzip-compliant:** [Yes/No/Unclear — explain]
- **STS restrictions:** [Yes/No — details]
- **AIS requirements:** [Explicit/Implied/Absent]

## Dispute Resolution
- **Law:** [governing law]
- **Arbitration:** [seat and rules]
- **Time bar:** [period]

## Flags for Attention
[List any terms that are unusual, missing, or potentially problematic]

1. [Issue and why it matters]
2. [Issue and why it matters]

Important Notes

• Charter party terms are commercially sensitive. Handle documents accordingly.
• This skill extracts and structures terms. It does not provide legal advice on contract interpretation.
• For adversarial verification of charter party claims — cross-referencing vessel particulars, sanctions screening, and counterparty due diligence — see DiligenceWorks.