What is DLOSP (Dropping Last Outward Sea Pilot) in Shipping?

DLOSP, as one of the chartering terms, is often used in a time charter. A time charter means a time-bound agreement. Under a time charter, the ship owner rents out a vessel to a charterer for a fixed time period or for a specified round-trip voyage. The ship owner and the charterer need to agree upon where the ship will be re-delivered in the time charter. 

Under chartering regulations, the vessel needs to be re-delivered within a specified area. The place of re-delivery can be within a port of discharging, or be outside the port. Some ports may be located up a river and be home to multiple pilot stations. As a result, the place of re-delivery will cause disputes. This is where DLOSP comes into play. 

DLOSP refers to Dropping Last Outwards Sea Pilot. DLOSP serves to describe the time and place of re-delivery of a ship to the owner by the charterer. 

For river ports, redelivering after discharging at the port will require the service provided by more than one pilot. For example, one pilot navigates the vessel from outer anchorage to the beginning of the channel, and another one, called sea pilot, will navigate the vessel through the channel to the river and canal outside the port limits. In the case above, the term DLOSP will be put into use. And the off-hire (or on-hire) inspection will be carried out only when the last sea pilot (who navigates the vessel outside the port limits) disembarks from the ship. Also, hire payments are no longer due once the last sea pilot disembarks.