Contracts and clauses
How the governing contract is found, which terms are indexed, how exclusions are applied, and what happens when the contract is silent.
Finding the governing contract
By carrier, shipper (or NVOCC), trade lane (POL/POD or region), container type, and the booking date against the contract's validity window. If more than one candidate applies, the file shows them and asks you to confirm once; the choice is remembered for that lane.
Terms indexed
- Free time: days, calendar vs working, which holiday calendar
- Clock start: vessel arrival, discharge, availability, or gate-out (for detention)
- Combined vs separate demurrage and detention
- Rate tiers and the day each tier starts
- Container type/size bands and special equipment (reefer, OOG)
- Exclusions: customs/government holds, terminal closures, carrier-caused delays, strikes
- Currency, conversion basis, invoicing deadlines (time-bar for carrier claims)
- Source-of-record clauses (whose timestamp governs)
Tariff fallback
Where no contract term exists the public tariff applies, and the file says so. The most common dispute — tariff applied where a contract exists — is detected by comparing the invoice's implied terms with the indexed contract.
Exclusions
Applied day by day on the timeline where the documents show the condition (a customs notice, a closure notice). The excluded days are marked and the clause cited. Where the contract is silent on a condition, the file states that the basis is goodwill, not contract.
Time-bars
Many contracts bar carrier D&D claims not invoiced within N days. The invoice issue date is checked against the time-bar and the finding included.
What the model does here
Reads clauses and classifies them into the index; proposes which clause applies. Day counts, tier allocation and conversion are deterministic code. Clause readings are shown with the page so a person can verify.