SOF
A Statement of Facts (SOF) is the chronological log of every relevant event during a vessel's port call: arrival, NOR tendered and accepted, berthing, commencement and completion of loading or discharge, stoppages, weather delays, shifting, and departure — each with its date and time. It is compiled by the ship's agent, agreed with the master (and often the terminal), and signed.
The SOF is the evidentiary backbone of the laytime and demurrage calculation. Every hour that counts for or against laytime is read from it, so its accuracy directly determines who pays whom. Disputes over demurrage almost always come down to what the SOF records — which is why producing a precise, well-supported SOF is one of the port agent's most important deliverables.
The SOF is where the money is decided. Laytime, demurrage and despatch are all calculated line by line from it, so a vague or wrong SOF is a demurrage dispute waiting to happen. A clean, timestamped SOF is what lets the calculation be settled without argument.
logged
calculation
despatch settled
What does a Statement of Facts record?
Every event of the port call with its time — arrival, NOR, berthing, start and end of cargo work, stoppages, weather delays, shifting and departure — agreed and signed by the agent and master.
Who prepares the SOF?
The ship's agent compiles it, agreeing the facts with the master and often the terminal, and it is signed as the agreed record of the call.