Wharf charter. A “berth” is the vessel’s place at a wharf (or at anchor) and a “wharf” is a wooden, steel, concrete or stone platform beside which the vessel can lie in a berth for loading or discharging or taking stores and/or fuel.
Therefore a “wharf charter” is similar to a “berth charter” in that it refers to the destination in a voyage charter. If the vessel arrives at a wharf but is placed in a berth different to that at which it will load or discharge cargo, and if the charter is a berth charter, it may be arguable whether the vessel is an “arrived ship” because the wharf may have more than one berth. The “berth” is the specific place where the ship is to load and/or discharge. If the voyage charter is a “wharf charter” the wharf also should be named.
