Olsen v. United States Shipping Co.
Olsen v. United States Shipping Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is a libel and cross-libel in admiralty. The original suit was brought by Andr. Olsen, owner of. the_ Norwegian steamship Bergenhus, against the United States Shipping Company, which chartered the steamship, to recover certain amounts alleged to be due for charter hire and certain amounts which the libel-ant was obliged to pay the consignees of the cargo by reason of a jettison of a portion of the cargo. The cross-libel is a suit for the loss of freight caused by the-jettison. Bj' the charter party, dated June 24, 1909,. the steamship Bergenhus. was chartered to the United States Shipping Company, to be delivered to the company at New Orleans for one, or an option of two, trips to Colon, or, at charterer’s option, home direct or via Mediterranean without Colon voyage. The charter was the government form of time charter, by which it was' agreed that the charterer should pay £1,100 per calendar month until the voyage ended at a European port. The steamer was duly delivered to the charterer at New Orleans. The captain was then notified to take the vessel to Mobile, Ala., and then to Gulfport, Miss., and take on a cargo of timber, to be taken to Aberdeen, Scotland, and was informed that it would be necessary to take out certain stanchions in the hold in order to permit the timber to be loaded. When the ship arrived at Mobile, none of the stanchions had been removed, and the captain declined to remove them without authority from the owner. The captain claims that the charterer’s agent demanded that all the stanchions in the hold should be removed. The charterer’s agent claims that he simply demanded the removal of such stanchions as are usually removed in carrying timber cargoes. The captain refused to remove any of the stanchions until he obtained authority from the owner. Three or four days were occupied in cabling. The necessary authority was given, and some of the stanchions were taken out. The charterer deducted from the charter hire certain amounts as damages for the delay caused, claiming that the stanchions which were ultimately removed should have been removed on the voyage from New Orleans to Mobile, so that the steamer would have been ready to take in cargo as soon as she reached Mobile. At Mobile a portion
In this suit, the owner claims to recover the following amounts;
(1) Amount deducted from charter hire Cor time alleged to have boon lost at Mobile.............. ......................... $ 780 80
(2) Damage to steamer through careless loading of heavy timber 1,580 32
(3) Demurrage during repair of this damage.................... 894 40
(4) Surveyors’ fees and other expenses at Mobile................ 2(1 88
(5) Deduct ions from charter hire for expenses at Gulfport caused. by unloading and reloading portion of deck cargo, etc....... 1,265 14
(6) Amount paid cargo owners for deck cargo jettisoned......... 2,867 94
(7) Expenses at; Newport, News in unloading and restowing deck cargo, surveys held, etc.................................... 925 81.
(8) Amount deducted from charter hire for twelve days’ detention at Newport News.....................................•.... 2,078 00
(9) Charter hire deducted for alleged expense of average bond, etc., at Aberdeen............................................... Ill 96
3. The libelant’s claim to recover surveyors’ fees at Mobile, and other expenses in connection with the removal of the stanchions, amounting to $26.38, is in my opinion invalid on the same grounds as those stated in regard to the claim for time lost at Mobile through the removal of the stanchions.'
5. The amount due and paid to the cargo owners for the deck cargo jettisoned I think should be recovered in this case on the same ground. The steamer, when she sailed from Ship Island, was unseaworthy because she had on too heavy a deck cargo, and in my opinion the charterer was responsible for that condition. The owner, therefore, had no defense to the claim of the cargo owner to the portion of the deck cargo jettisoned. I do not think that the judgment recovered in England by the cargo owner against the libelant is technically conclusive upon the respondent. Notice of that suit' was not given to the respondent until after the owner of the steamer had conceded his liability in that suit, but I think that the evidence in this case shows that the libelant had no defense to that claim. As against the respondent, the amount allowed should be the actual amount due the cargo owners, and if, by reason of the litigation, that amount was needlessly increased, the respondent should not be charged with such increase. The commissioner may pass upon the question whether the whole of the sum of $2,867.94, claimed by the libelant as the amount paid to the cargo owners, is properly chargeable against the respondent.
6. I think that the respondent is liable for the expenses at Newport News in unloading and restowing the deck cargo, and for the surveys held by the charterer at Newport News. The commissioner should pass upon the question whether the sums of $783.25 and $125, claimed by the libelant, are correct. There is not sufficient evidence in the case to pass upon the question whether the claim of $17.56 for insurance on the portion of the cargo dischargeable at Newport News is recoverable or not, and that question is referred to the commissioner.
7. I think that the charterer should not be allowed any deduction for the 12 days alleged to have been lost at Newport News. Whatever time was lost there in excess of the time which would have been regularly occupied in taking on coal for the voyage to Aberdeen is, I think, chargeable to the charterer for having insisted upon the steamer’s being overloaded at Ship Island. The question whether the amount deducted, $2,078, is correct, may be passed on by the commissioner.
8. The evidence is not sufficient to determine whether the amount deducted for the alleged expense of average bond at Aberdeen, $111.-96, should be allowed, and that question is referred to the commissioner.
A decree may be submitted in conformity with this opinion.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- OLSEN v. UNITED STATES SHIPPING CO.
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Shipping (§ 49*)—Charters—Deduction ratox Charter Hire—Delay in Fitting Vessel. A steamer was delivered to a time charterer at New Orleans, and was directed to proceed, to Mobile to load a cargo of timber, and also to remove stanchions from the hold, so that the timber could be put in. When the vessel reached Mobile, the master refused to take out the stanchions until he cabled his owners, which required several days, when they were taken out. Held, that the charterer was entitled to deduct charter hire for the time of the delay, it being shown that it was customary to remove the stanchions for such cargoes, that it did not en-' danger the vessel, and that they could have been removed on the trip from New Orleans, without causing any delay. [Ed. Note.—For other cases, see Shipping, Cent. Dig. §§ 187-202; Dec. Dig. § 49.* Deductions and offsets from charter hire of vessel, see note to Tweedie Trading Co. v. George D. Emery Co., 84 C. C. A. 254.1 2. Shipping (p 54*)—Charter—Liability for Injury to Vessel in Loading. A charterer is liable for injury caused to a vessel in loading a cargo of heavy timber in her hold. [Ed. Note.—-For other cases, see Shipping, Cent. Dig. §§ 219-221; Dec. Dig. P 54.*] 3. Shipping (p 53*)—Charter—Improper Loading—Liability por Cargo Jettison i5i). A steamer was loaded by a time charterer in gulf ports with a cargo of timber for Scotland, including a deck load piled to a height of J5 feet aft and 17 feet forward. The master protested against the forward deck load on the ground that it rendered the vessel unstable and unseaworthy, but the charterer's agent insisted and had a survey made; the surveyors reporting that it could safely be taken. The underwriters also consenting and giving a certificate of seaworthiness, the master consented, but, after putting to sea, was compelled to jettison a part of the forward dec-k load to save the vessel. Held, that, under the circumstances, the whole responsibility was that of the charterer who should be charged with the entire loss, and also with the expense of unloading and restowing the deck cargo at an intermediate port, and that it was not entitled to a deduction from the charter hire for the time thereby lost, nor for loss of freight on the cargo jettisoned. [Ed. Note.—Por other cases, see Shipping, Cent. Dig. §§ 214-218, 223; Dec. Dig. § 53.*]