CONWARTIME and VOYWAR
The BIMCO war risks clauses for time and voyage charters, the 2025 editions, and how they allocate the additional premium.
CONWARTIME and VOYWAR are BIMCO’s war risks clauses for time and voyage charter parties respectively. They give an owner the liberty to refuse an order that would take the ship into an area exposed to war risks, and they allocate the cost of entering such an area between the parties.
The current editions are CONWARTIME 2025 and VOYWAR 2025, adopted by BIMCO’s Documentary Committee and announced on 9 April 2025, citing the war in Ukraine and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Under them charterers reimburse Insurance Costs to owners rather than carrying the premium directly, crew bonuses and additional wages actually paid are separately reimbursable within 15 days against documentation, and owners must if asked demonstrate reasonable endeavours to obtain appropriate cover and terms.
The full article will cover the clause architecture, the defined terms, the differences between the 2013 and 2025 editions, the case law on the owner’s judgment of risk, and the interaction with the hull war policy.