Lay-can
Lay-can (short for "laydays / cancelling date") is the window of dates during which a vessel must arrive at the loading port and be ready to load cargo under a voyage or contract-of-affreightment charter. It has two endpoints:
- Laydays: the earliest date the vessel can present and be required to load (vessel cannot tender Notice of Readiness before this)
- Cancelling date: the latest date by which the vessel must be ready — if the vessel doesn't arrive by then, the charterer has the option to cancel the contract without penalty
Lay-can negotiation is one of the most consequential elements of any charter party. A wide lay-can gives the shipowner flexibility but penalises the charterer's scheduling; a narrow lay-can binds the owner tightly. Disputes over lay-can compliance are common in shipping arbitration.
Lay-can defines the arrival window that makes or breaks a fixture — turn up before laydays and the ship may be held; miss the cancelling date and the charterer can walk away without penalty. Its negotiation is one of the most consequential lines in a charter party, and a frequent subject of arbitration.
can present
may cancel
What happens if a vessel misses the cancelling date?
The charterer gains the option to cancel the charter without penalty — though they are not obliged to, and may keep the fixture if it still suits them.
What are laydays?
The earliest date on which the vessel may present and be required to load — it cannot tender Notice of Readiness before this date.