Saipem S.p.A. v. Dredging VO2 B.V. and Geosite Surveys Ltd. (The Volvox Hollandia) - Court of Appeal (Kerr, Dillon and Nicholls L.JJ.) - 25 May 1988

Determining appropriate forum for limitation of liability claims

Conoco U.K. Limited entered into a contract with Saipem (an Italian company) to do certain dredging work in the area of the Vector oilfield in the North Sea. Saipem entered into a sub-contract with VO2 (a Dutch company) for part of it. VO2 owned the vessel Volvox Hollandia . VO2 in turn entered into a sub-sub-contract with Geosite (an English company) for the supply of certain equipment and personnel onboard the vessel.