ASBATANKVOY
The tanker voyage charter workhorse: the October 1977 form, the Worldscale freight basis, and what ASBATANKVOY 2025 changed.
ASBATANKVOY is the dominant tanker voyage charter party, published by the Association of Ship Brokers and Agents (U.S.A.), Inc. (ASBA). The form in general use carries an edition date of October 1977 and is used across the crude and product trades.
It sets freight on a Worldscale basis, defines laytime and demurrage for tanker loading and discharge, and carries the pumping and heating obligations particular to liquid cargo. ASBATANKVOY 2025, announced in April 2025 and published with ASBATANKBILL 2025, is the first overhaul of the form since 1977; its arbitration provision mirrors the BIMCO Law and Arbitration Clause 2020 with New York as the default venue, and it is drafted with the stated aim of needing fewer rider clauses.
The full article will cover the form clause by clause, the laytime and demurrage machinery including the demurrage time bar in clause 38 as commonly amended, the pumping warranty, the Worldscale freight mechanism, and the differences between the 1977 and 2025 editions.