Bareboat Charter
Demise charter where charterer takes full operational control, including crewing and maintenance, for a fixed period.
In practice
Crew is employed by the bareboat charterer; the master reports through the charterer's organisation, not the registered owner. Maintenance is the charterer's account.
Regulatory detail & full definition
Charter party — also called a demise charter — in which the charterer takes full operational and commercial control of the vessel for a fixed period, including the duty to crew, insure, maintain, and fund operations. The owner delivers a vessel ready for service and receives a daily rate. Bareboat charters are common in tax-driven leasing structures, in long-term financing arrangements with purchase options, and in flag-state requirements that demand local registration. BIMCO BARECON 2017 is the standard form; redelivery condition disputes are the main commercial battleground.
Authoritative source: BIMCO standard forms ↗
Related
Source: BIMCO BARECON 2017
High confidence
Editorial confidence: how we grade.