An undertaking by the owners to maintain the vessel in good condition throughout the charter period.
Owners may be required to keep the vessel in the condition she was stated to be in when the contract was made, e. g. to “LR class 100A1 or equivalent”. Some time charter party forms require owners to “exercise due diligence to make the vessel tight, staunch, strong, in good order and condition, and in every way fit for the service, both before, at and throughout the time charter period, taking whatever steps are necessary to so maintain the vessel, even if the cause of repairs and/or additional maintenance result from a cause for which owners are not directly responsible”. “Tight, staunch and strong” etc. basically means “seaworthy”.
