NOR
A Notice of Readiness (NOR) is the formal declaration, tendered by the master or the ship's agent to the charterer or shipper, that the vessel has arrived at the agreed place and is ready in all respects to load or discharge cargo. Under a voyage charter, a valid NOR is the trigger that starts the laytime clock.
For a NOR to be valid the vessel must be an "arrived ship" (at the berth, or the port/anchorage as the charter party defines), physically and legally ready — holds clean, free pratique granted, cleared inwards. Charter parties often add a notice period (e.g. laytime starts a set number of hours after a NOR tendered within office hours). Because laytime — and therefore demurrage or despatch — hinges on it, the timing and validity of the NOR is one of the most litigated points in voyage chartering.
The NOR is the starting gun for laytime. Tender it too early or when the ship is not truly ready and it can be invalid — pushing back the demurrage clock and costing the owner money; tender it correctly and the charterer's allowed time starts on schedule. Getting it right is core port-agency work.
& ready
starts
despatch
What makes a Notice of Readiness valid?
The vessel must be an "arrived ship" as the charter party defines, ready in all respects to work cargo (holds clean, free pratique granted, cleared inwards), and the NOR tendered in the manner and hours the charter requires.
Why does the NOR matter for demurrage?
Because it starts laytime. If laytime is exceeded the charterer pays demurrage; if cargo work finishes early the owner may pay despatch — and both are counted from the valid NOR.