Affreightment

Affreightment (from freight) is a legal term relating to shipping.

A contract of affreightment is a contract between a ship-owner and a charterer, in which the ship-owner agrees to carry goods for the charterer in the ship, or to give the charterer the use of the whole or part of the ship's cargo-carrying space for the carriage of goods on a specified voyage or voyages or for a specified time.[1][2] The charterer agrees to pay a specified price, called freight, for the carriage of the goods or the use of the ship.[3]

A ship may be let, like a house, to a person who takes possession and control of it for a specified term. The person who hires a ship in this way occupies during the specified time the position of ship-owner. The contract under which a ship is so let may be called a charterparty—but it is not, properly speaking, a contract of affreightment, and is mentioned here only to clarify the distinction between a charter-party of this kind, which is sometimes called a demise of the ship, and a charter-party that is a contract of affreightment.[3]

  1. ^ "AFFREIGHTMENT Definition & Legal Meaning". Black's Law Dictionary (2nd ed.). Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. ^ "CONTRACT OF AFFREIGHTMENT Definition & Legal Meaning". Black's Law Dictionary (2nd ed.). Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Walton 1911, p. 302.