A charterparty (sometimes charter-party) is a maritime contract between a shipowner and a "charterer" for the hire of either a ship for the carriage of passengers or cargo, or a yacht for pleasure purposes. Charter party is a contract of carriage of goods in the case of employment of a (charter boat). It means that the charter party will clearly and unambiguously set out the rights and responsibilities of the ship owner and the charterers and any subsequent dispute between them will be settled in the court of law or any agreed forum with reference to the agreed terms and conditions as embodied in the charter party. The name "charterparty" is an anglicisation of the French charte partie, or "split paper", i.e. a document written in duplicate so that each party retains half. Types of charterparty There are three main types of charterparty: time, voyage and demise and another. In a demise (or bareboat) charter, the charterer takes responsibility for the crewing and maintenance of the ship during the time of the charter. He assumes the legal responsibilities of the owner, and is known as a disponent owner. In a time charter, the vessel is hired for a specific amount of time. The shipowner manages the vessel but the charterer gives orders for the employment of the vessel, and may sub-charter the vessel on a time charter or voyage charter basis. In a voyage charter, the charterer hires the vessel for a single voyage, but the shipowner provides the master, crew, bunkering and supplies. A demise charter operates as a long lease of the vessel, with the charterer completely in charge. In time and voyage charters, the shipowner still runs the ship, but when in port the charterer becomes responsible for loading and unloading the ship within the agreed period of laytime. If the charterer exceeds the allowed laytime, demurrage becomes payable. In a voyage charter, the route is pre-arranged and the charterer has little scope to interfere with the programme. By contrast, the time charter is almost a halfway-house between a demise charter and a voyage charter, in that the charterer decides on the voyages and the ports, and instructs the shipowner's crew to comply. This can lead to issues of indemnity: whereas the shipowner in a voyage charter takes responsibility for the ship, in a time charter the shipowner may need to be indemnified against losses or liabilities