Abstract
The authors discuss the topic of unsafe ports, and in what circumstances the charterer can be held liable, with the aid of various case examples. They distinguish two types of cases: that where a port possesses an unsafe feature (topographical, meteorological, or political) that is permanent or intermittent, and can be made safe through a safety system designed to neutralise the hazard, such as correctly positioned navigation buoys, an accurate weather warning system, and so forth. The other type of case is where the port's features are safe in themselves, but unsafety suddenly arises because of human error. In the latter case, the problem has nothing to do with the port itself, unless the error happens frequently.