Definition
An OPL call lets a ship do business near a port without entering it: no port dues, no pilot, no berth — just a launch or a barge coming out to her. Ships on passage use OPL to change crew, land or receive spares and stores, take bunkers, or hand over mail and cash to master, saving the time and cost of a full port call.
The water outside a port's limits is not always lawless, but it is less protected. North P&I's guidance on bunkering outside Singapore port limits points out that the vessel may sit in another state's jurisdiction — ships there have been detained by Malaysian and Indonesian authorities for anchoring without permission — and that the Singapore Strait recorded 49 piracy and armed-robbery incidents in 2021. Check whose waters you are in, whether the activity needs permission there, and keep the security watch up.[1]
For the buyer, an OPL supply is a launch-boat delivery with tighter timing: the supplier needs the ship's position and window, the launch operator's cut-off, and customs clearance for whatever leaves the shore. Price the launch separately from the goods.
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Sources
- [1] SAFETY4SEA / North P&I — What to watch when bunkering outside Singapore port limits (3 Feb 2022) — https://safety4sea.com/what-to-watch-when-bunkering-outside-singapore-port-limits/
A working definition for buyers, not legal advice — the contract, the convention text and your club or class have the last word.