The Owners, Master and Crew of the Tug ‘Hamtun’ v The Owners of the ship ‘St John’ - QBD (Admlty Ct)(Peter Gross QC sitting as a deputy judge of the QBD) - 11 March 1999

Salvage - Whether services rendered by harbour tug to vessel whose mooring wire had parted constitute salvage - Proper level of salvage remuneration

The vessel St John, an OBO of 156,109 DWT, was at a lay up berth in Southampton Water, England prior to departing for the Far East where she was to be scrapped. On the morning of 5 April 1993, in high winds, the stern mooring wire parted. At 0700 the tug Hamtun rendered services to the St John, essentially by making fast on her starboard quarter and thereafter pulling her stern towards deeper water. At about 0915, following assistance from the Hamtun and others, the St John weighed her anchors and was in a position to commence her voyage to the scrap yard.