Jurisprudence on interepretation of the Hague-Visby Rules: Negligent Stowage

United States

American Home Assurance Co. v. M/v Tabuk et Al., United States District Court, Southern District of New York, November 5, 2001 (2002 AMC 184)One container in which one hundred missiles, placed on pallets had been stowed, was loaded on the deck of the m/v Tabuk for carriage from Wilmington to Kuwait. In the course of the voyage the container was lost overboard during a storm. American Home Assurance Co. indemnified the shipper, Raytheon System Company and brought an action against the m/v Tabuk and the carrier, United Arab Shipping Company, claiming US$ 2,560,250.00 in damages, stating that the package limitation was not applicable because the stowage of the container on deck was an unreasonable deviation and in any event the deviation was per se unreasonable, the total number of containers on deck exceeded that contemplated in the stowage manual of the ship and the container was improperly secured.Held, by the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, that:

<dl><dd>(1) Negligence of the carrier in properly loading and securing containers on deck is not an unreasonable deviation. </dd></dl>