SNC SLB v M/V Newark Bay and Ors - US Court of Appeals (2nd Circuit)(Van Graafeiland, Leval and Cabranes Ct JJ) - 2 April 1997

Carriage of goods by sea - Goods damaged during transfer between feeder vessels - Carrier relying on US COGSA package limitation - Whether carrier unreasonably deviated from contract of carriage

A 37-foot yacht was contracted to be transported from Port Everglades to Marseilles. The yacht was carried on board the vessel Newark Bay and delivered at Felixstowe in good condition. It was then transferred to a Sea-Land “feeder vessel”, the Sea Eagle, for shipment to Marseilles. Sea-Land subsequently ordered the yacht to be transferred to another feeder vessel at Lisbon, for carriage to Marseilles. This was because Sea-Land had had to reorganise its services as a result of providing shipping to the US Government in support of Operation Desert Shield.