Article 157 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 157 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثالث: إيجار السفينة المجهزة
Claims from a fully equipped ship charter are not heard after two years, running from the end of the term or last voyage, the end of each voyage, or knowledge of the preventing event, and from removal from the register if the ship is lost.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- لا تسمع الدعوى الناشئة عن عقد إيجار السفينة المجهزة بعد مضي سنتين، ويبدأ سريان المدة في حالة التأجير بالمدة من تاريخ انقضاء مدة العقد أو من تاريخ انتهاء الرحلة الأخيرة إذا امتدت هذه الرحلة وفقاً للفقرة (2) من المادة (الرابعة والستين بعد المائة) أو من تاريخ العلم بوقوع الحادث الذي جعل تنفيذ العقد أو الاستمرار في تنفيذه مستحيلاً.
2- يبدأ سريان المدة في حالة التأجير بالرحلة من تاريخ انتهاء كل رحلة أو من تاريخ العلم بوقوع الحادث الذي جعل بدء الرحلة أو الاستمرار فيها مستحيلاً، وتنتهي الرحلة بوصول السفينة إلى الميناء المتفق عليه وإنزال البضائع التي شحنها المستأجر.
3- يبدأ سريان المدة في حالة هلاك السفينة من تاريخ شطبها من سجل السفن.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 157 explained in plain English
This article sets the period for hearing claims arising from a fully equipped ship charter, which is two years, and its start differs according to the type of charter:
First: a time charter. The period starts from one of the following dates:
- the date the term of the contract expires, or
- the date the last voyage ends if it is extended under paragraph 2 of Article 164, which extends the contract to the end of the voyage if the charter term expires during it, or
- the date of knowledge of the event that made performance of the contract, or its continuation, impossible.
Second: a voyage charter. The period starts from the end of each voyage, or from the date of knowledge of the event that made starting the voyage or continuing it impossible. A voyage ends when the ship arrives at the agreed port and the goods loaded by the lessee are unloaded.
Third: loss of the ship. The period starts from the date it is removed from the ship register.
Note that in a voyage charter the period is counted from the end of each voyage separately. It follows Article 156, which makes the lessee liable for damage arising from his misuse of the ship or a defect in his goods. To determine when the period starts in a particular dispute, consult a lawyer specializing in maritime and commercial law.
Practical example
A company chartered a fully equipped ship for three voyages, and the first ended in March 2025 when the ship arrived and the goods were unloaded. Any claim relating to the first voyage must be filed before March 2027, and the period for each later voyage is counted from the date it ends.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 157 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
What is the time limit for a claim arising from a fully equipped ship charter?
Two years.
When does the period start in a voyage charter?
From the end of each voyage, or from the date of knowledge of the event that made starting the voyage or continuing it impossible. A voyage ends when the ship arrives at the agreed port and the goods are unloaded.
When does the period start if the ship is lost?
From the date it is removed from the ship register.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Ship Charter
- Article 20
The article permits registering a chartered foreign bareboat ship at the Kingdom's registration offices if the charterer meets the registration conditions, and creates a special temporary register for such ships.
1- تسجل السفينة الأجنبية غير المجهزة -لسفرة أو لرحلة واحدة أو لعدد من الرحلات والسفرات أو لمدة محددة- التي يستأجرها من تتوافر لديه شروط التسجيل بأي مكتب من مكات
- Article 21
The article subjects a chartered foreign bareboat ship registered in the Kingdom to the Kingdom's laws, with the charterer taking the owner's place in the law's obligations and penalties for the whole charter period.
تطبق على السفينة الأجنبية المستأجرة غير المجهزة المسجلة في المملكة، الأنظمة المعمول بها في المملكة، ويحل المستأجر طوال مدة الإيجار محل المالك فيما يتعلق بالالتز
- Article 22
The article requires the charterer of a ship that is not fitted out to apply to cancel its register and return the temporary registration certificate within fifteen days of the end of the charter contract.
يلتزم المستأجر بتقديم طلب شطب سجل السفينة المستأجرة غير المجهزة، وإعادة شهادة التسجيل المؤقتة الخاصة بها خلال خمسة عشر يوماً من تاريخ انتهاء عقد الإيجار.
- Article 23
The article requires the owner of a Saudi ship not fitted out, chartered to a foreigner, to notify the registration office fifteen days before the contract takes effect; registration is suspended or cancelled temporarily and the Kingdom's flag may not be flown during the charter.
في حالة تأجير سفينة سعودية غير مجهزة لأجنبي، فعلى مالكها إبلاغ مكتب التسجيل المسجلة فيه السفينة قبل سريان عقد الإيجار بخمسة عشر يوماً على الأقل، وعلى مكتب التسج
- Article 77
If the charterer manages the ship's navigation and alone is liable for the maritime debt, the ship or the charterer's other ships may be attached, but not the other ships of the lessor-owner.
1- إذا كان مستأجر السفينة يتولى إدارتها الملاحية، وكان وحده مسؤولاً عن أي دين بحري متعلق بها، جاز للدائن توقيع الحجز على هذه السفينة أو على أي سفينة أخرى مملوكة
- Article 142
A ship charter contract can be proven only in writing and must state the ship, the parties, loading and unloading, the rent and compensation and the type of charter, and a sale of the ship does not end the charter.
1- لا يثبت عقد إيجار السفينة إلا بالكتابة, ويجب أن يكون متضمناً اسم السفينة, ومقدار حمولتها, ودرجتها, والدولة التابعة لها، واسم المؤجر والمستأجر، والمكان والزما
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.