When a ship in ballast is not under charter and the only party with property at risk is the shipowner, there is no “common adventure” and there can therefore be no general average.
Where a chartered ship is in ballast, however, charterers’ property, such as bunker fuel and/or freight, may be at risk, in which case these may be required to contribute to the general average. When a ship carries a cargo of empty containers, the owners of the containers will usually be contributing interests.
