TOWCON 2008
Overview
TOWCON is an international ocean towage agreement on a lump sum basis. The form is aimed at the commercial towage sector and is not intended for use in port towing. The latest edition of this contract is TOWCON 2021.
Copyright in TOWCON 2008 is held by BIMCO.
TOWCON 2008
The below explanatory notes are also available as an e-book from Witherbys.
Explanatory notes for Offshore Heavylift and Project Cargo Contracts are available as an e-book from Witherbys.
Background
The form retains the familiar Part I box layout which provides a useful summary of all the key variables of the contract such as details of the parties and tugs and payment terms. The main terms and conditions of the agreement are contained in Part II of the form. To make the agreement easier to read and where necessary amend, the text has been laid out in a single column.
It was decided to introduce several new provisions relating to matters such as towage in ice, the ISPS Code and to add a new “vessel description” annex to the forms.
Care has been taken in the revision of the towage agreement not to disturb the well-established operational clauses of TOWCON. To assist users in understanding the changes made to TOWCON, BIMCO has prepared a set of clause by clause explanatory notes as set out above. The left-hand column of each table shows the text of the original TOWCON in black, with the changes made to produce the latest edition superimposed – red for new text and blue for text that has been removed. This will provide users with an easy to follow at-a-glance reference guide to the new edition. The right-hand column of each table contains explanatory notes for each clause and detailing, where appropriate, the reasons for amending the wording.
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