BIMCO launches “SUPERMAN” contract

JANUARY 15, 2016 — BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association, has launched a new standard contract for ship managers to provide supervision services for shipbuilding and conversion projects. Code named SUPERMAN, it is a new addition to BIMCO’s existing suite of ship management agreements.

Developed by a team of industry experts, SUPERMAN is designed to be a comprehensive and clearly worded agreement setting out a ship managers’ duties and obligations when providing ship construction-related supervisory services.

“SUPERMAN satisfies the demand for a balanced, industry-recognized, standard contract form for newbuilding supervision services and it completes BIMCO’s suite of ‘cradle to grave’ ship management services and related commercial contracts,” says Captain Ajay Hazari of Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, who headed the team that drafted the contract.

Other members of the drafting team were Steve Davies of Graig Shipping, Maurizio Bergamaschi of D’Amico Shipping, Krzysztof Kozdron of Bernard Schulte Shipmanagement, Charlotte Kirk of International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) and Justin Turner of law firm Curtis Davis Garrard.

The new contract is modeled closely on the widely used SHIPMAN 2009. At its heart are the key clauses of SHIPMAN dealing with issues such as manager’s authority, liabilities and termination. These have been adapted to suit the particular set of services under the new contract.

Like SHIPMAN, the supervision contract will provide users with a range of optional services to suit the needs of users, including: site supervision, guarantee claims handling, plan approval and technical specification review.