Lloyd's Maritime Law Newsletter

Limitation of liability – Conduct barring limitation – Vessel catching fire in Gulf of Aden and subsequently flooding and sinking – Owners seeking limitation decree – Whether owners barred from limiting liability – Whether loss resulted from owners’ personal act or omission committed with the intent to cause loss – Convention on Limitation for Liability of Maritime Claims 1976, article 4

Carriage of goods by sea – Bunkers shipped onboard vessels as cargoes for onward delivery – Shipowners issuing bills of lading – Bunker supplier remaining unpaid – Shipowners delivering bunker cargoes without production of bills of lading – Bunker supplier bringing proceedings against shipowners – Whether bills of lading operated as contractual document – Whether bunker supplier entitled to summary judgment

Admiralty jurisdiction – Action in rem based on maritime lien – Shipowners failing to pay for bunkers supplied to vessel – Whether physical bunker suppliers had maritime lien against vessel – Summary judgment

Admiralty practice – Priorities – Ranking of unregistered mortgagee