MEMBER ALERT Shipowners Claims Bureau, Inc., Manager One Battery Park Plaza 31 st Fl., New York, NY 10004 USA Tel: +1 212 847 4500 Fax: +1 212 847 4599 https://www.american-club.com American Club Member Alert – June 25 , 20 20 1 JUNE 25, 2020 NEW BIMCO COVID-19 CREW CHANGE CLAUSE FOR TIME CHARTERPARTIES Although global travel restrictions are beginning to ease, those which remain in many countries continue to impede crew changes. As a result, BIMCO has produced a new clause designed to give owners the liberty to deviate for the purpose of effecting crew changes under tightly defined circumstances. The clause also provides an option for charterers to contribute to the crew change in recognition of the potentially high cost of making a COVID-19 related arrangements of this kind. Crew changes are usually for owners’ account under a charterparty. The extraordinary and unusual circumstances created by COVID-19 have left some owners unable to conduct crew changes on a ship’s trade route. With crew now remaining on board for periods beyond their contracts of employment, owners require the flexibility to deviate to an alternative place if crew changes cannot be effected at the places to which the ship is ordered by charterers. This clause is designed to help them with that process and to encourage charterers to assist. The clause can be downloaded from the BIMCO website, together with explanatory notes providing a guide to its use and application, at: https://www.bimco.org/contracts-and-clauses/bimco-clauses/current/covid-19-crew-changeclause-for-time-charter-parties-2020 Your Managers recommend that Members take note of this information and be guided accordingly.