# Laycan

> The agreed window — laydays/cancelling — within which a chartered ship must arrive and be ready to load.

## Record

- Record type: Encyclopedia entry
- Canonical page: https://admiralsatlas.com/en/chartering/laycan/
- Last updated: 2026-08-31

## Article

Laycan is a contraction of laydays and cancelling date: the window agreed in a charterparty within which the vessel must arrive at the loadport and tender notice of readiness. A fixture might specify “laycan 10/20 March”.

The two ends of the window work differently:

- The laydays date is the earliest the charterer is obliged to start counting laytime — if the ship shows up early, the charterer may, but need not, accept it.
- The cancelling date gives the charterer an option: if the vessel is not ready by then, the charterer may cancel the charter (without automatic entitlement to damages unless the owner breached a separate obligation, such as an ETA warranty or reasonable-despatch duty).

Missing a cancelling date in a rising market is unpleasant for the charterer (who typically re-fixes at higher rates); in a falling market, owners fear opportunistic cancellation. In time charters, the equivalent window governs the delivery of the vessel to charterers.

## Related records

- [Charterparty](/en/chartering/charterparty/index.md)
- [Laytime](/en/chartering/laytime/index.md)
- [Notice of readiness (NOR)](/en/chartering/notice-of-readiness/index.md)