Quarantine measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in China are causing headaches for some shipowners that are unable to send representatives to attend sea trials for newbuilding deliveries.

Sea trials are a critical part of the pre-delivery process. They allow an owner to identify possible technical faults and check fuel-consumption performance.

If potential problems are not identified during the testing phase, an owner may also waive its right to raise technical issues with the yard that arise later.