Compania Sud Americana De Vapores SA v Sinochem Tianjin Import and Export Corp (The "Aconcagua") - Court of Appeal (Maurice Kay, Longmore and Stanley Burnton LJJ) - 9 December 2010

Carriage of goods by sea - Dangerous goods - Vessel damaged following on-board explosion of cargo of calcium hypochlorite - Causation - Whether damage caused by dangerous cargo or by excessive heating of bunker tank or by some other unknown factor

On 30 December 1998 an explosion took place in No 3 hold of the vessel Aconcagua while on passage off the coast of Ecuador. The cause of the explosion was the self ignition of 334 kegs of calcium hypochlorite stowed in a container. The container was stowed in a position in the hold where it was surrounded on all three sides by a bunker tank which had been heated during the voyage in order to allow a transfer of bunkers for fuel oil. The vessel was on time charter to the claimant (“CSAV”).