A formal written notice given by the master to the charterer or shipper that the vessel has arrived and is ready to load or discharge.
In practice
For the NOR to be valid, the vessel must have arrived at the contractual destination — either the berth, the port, or an anchorage within the port depending on the charter party provisions — and must be legally and physically ready for cargo operations. Any deficiency that prevents the vessel from receiving cargo (e.g., open hatches, failed cargo pumps, outstanding port formalities) may render the NOR premature and therefore invalid. Charter party forms such as GENCON, ASBATANKVOY, and SHELLVOY contain specific NOR clauses, and considerable LMAA arbitration case law addresses the conditions for valid tender. The master must carefully record the time and method of tender in the official log book.
Regulatory detail & full definition
A Notice of Readiness (NOR) is a formal written communication given by the master to the charterer, shipper, or receiver — or their agents — declaring that the vessel has arrived at the agreed destination, is in all respects ready to load or discharge cargo, and that laytime should commence or be considered to have commenced. The NOR is a critical commercial document that triggers the laytime clock under the voyage charter party: the precise wording, time of tender, and acceptance of the NOR determine when the charterer's free time for cargo operations begins.
For the NOR to be valid, the vessel must have arrived at the contractual destination — either the berth, the port, or an anchorage within the port depending on the charter party provisions — and must be legally and physically ready for cargo operations. Any deficiency that prevents the vessel from receiving cargo (e.g., open hatches, failed cargo pumps, outstanding port formalities) may render the NOR premature and therefore invalid. Charter party forms such as GENCON, ASBATANKVOY, and SHELLVOY contain specific NOR clauses, and considerable LMAA arbitration case law addresses the conditions for valid tender. The master must carefully record the time and method of tender in the official log book.