Armada Supply Inc. v. Wright

858 F.2d 842
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedSeptember 22, 1988
DocketNos. 565, 645, Dockets 87-7788, 87-7852
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 858 F.2d 842 (Armada Supply Inc. v. Wright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Armada Supply Inc. v. Wright, 858 F.2d 842 (2d Cir. 1988).

Opinion

WINTER, Circuit Judge:

This appeal and cross-appeal concern claims under two insurance policies for losses incurred by Armada Supply Incorporated (“Armada”) arising out of a shipment of fuel oil from Rio de Janeiro to New York. Following a bench trial, Judge Grie-sa awarded Armada $1,462,722.64, plus interest at the three month rate for Treasury bills, against the lead underwriter, Banorte Seguradora, S.A. (“Banorte”), individually and on behalf of the other Brazilian underwriters. He further ruled that Philip Gay-bell Wright and the other participating underwriters at Lloyd’s and elsewhere in London (the “London underwriters”) were liable for $85,808.34.1 Judge Griesa’s opinion is reported at 665 F.Supp. 1047 (S.D.N.Y.1987).

Banorte has appealed from the judgment, contending that the district court lacked personal jurisdiction over it or, alternatively, that certain shortage losses, contamination losses, and “sue and labor” expenses incurred in reconditioning a shipment of contaminated oil allowed by the district court, should be disallowed and/or reduced. Armada has cross-appealed, claiming that the London underwriters, who insured Armada under an open-cover marine policy, were liable for that portion of Armada’s loss on its contract to sell the oil to Sun Oil Trading Co. (“Sun”) not covered by Banorte ($1,298,813.03) and, at least contingently, for the same losses — an amount alleged on appeal to be $2,794,-315.35 — insured by Banorte. Armada also disputes the district court’s calculation of contamination loss, shortage loss, and sue and labor expenses.

We hold that the district court had personal jurisdiction over Banorte, and that the increased-value clause of Armada’s open policy of marine insurance with the London underwriters insured cargo loss and damage, but not the loss of Armada’s profitable contract with Sun. We further hold that the contingency-cover clause of the London policy was not applicable on these facts, that the London underwriters did not waive their position that this clause was inapplicable, and that the district court correctly calculated most of Armada’s losses. However, we reverse on the cross-appeal as to some of the sue and labor claims.

[846]*846BACKGROUND

The facts are relatively straightforward. Armada, a Texas corporation, entered a contract in April 1982 to purchase four shiploads of oil from Petrobras, a Brazilian oil company, to be delivered over a period of four months. The sales were to be C.I.F. (cost, insurance, freight) port of delivery, meaning that Armada would take title in Rio de Janeiro but Petrobras would pay freight to New York (or Rotterdam) and purchase marine insurance. The contract provided that the price would be based on the spot oil price at the point and time of delivery.

The cargo at issue here was the last shipment under the April 1982 contract. On November 16, 1982, it was onloaded to the AGIOS NIKOLAS at Rio de Janeiro. The bill of lading specified that 348,000 barrels (52,066 metric tons) were to be on-loaded, although only 340,000 barrels were actually onloaded. At some point during the voyage to New York, the crew of the AGIOS NIKOLAS apparently used part of the cargo for fuel and then pumped sea water into the cargo tanks, thereby contaminating the fuel tanks and creating a shortfall of oil. The vessel arrived in New York on December 9, 1982, but shortly thereafter left temporarily to evade legal process. After the conclusion of complex negotiations among the parties in which Armada agreed to pay the freight and not to arrest the vessel, the vessel returned. Armada has since obtained a damage award, uncollectable to date, against the ship’s owners for $4,130,900. See Armada Supply, Inc. v. S/T Agios Nikolas, 613 F.Supp. 1459 (S.D.N.Y.1985).

On October 29, 1982, prior to the AGIOS NIKOLAS’s departure from Rio de Janeiro, Armada entered into a contract with Sun Oil providing for a sale of approximately 330,000 barrels (49,000 metric tons), plus or minus ten percent at Armada’s option. This sale was to be on a delivered basis, meaning that until Sun took title in New York, the oil would be at Armada’s risk. Since the contract price was fixed at $30.55 per barrel, Armada would earn a substantial profit if oil prices fell before the oil reached New York. As it turned out, the New York spot oil price had fallen to $25.70 per barrel when the AGIOS NIKO-LAS arrived in New York. Due to the contamination, however, Sun refused to accept the oil. Sun later agreed to buy only 49,000 barrels at $27.40 per barrel. If the Sun contract had not been lost, Armada would have made $4.85 per barrel or a total profit of approximately $1.6 million. Instead, Armada had to recondition the oil and then try to sell it. Armada eventually made six separate sales, the last on March 16, 1983, to various oil companies.

Petrobras had an open marine-insurance policy with Banorte and ninety-four other Brazilian underwriters covering the oil. Open marine policies are widely used in the United States. See L. Buglass, Marine Insurance and General Average in the United States 10 (2d ed. 1981). Under such policies, the assured has automatic coverage subject to the terms set forth in the cover letter. Id. The Brazilian policy was subject to the London Institute Cargo Clauses (All-Risks), and thus covered the shortage and contamination losses involved in the instant case. The amount of coverage was equal to $28.27 per barrel ($25.70 New York spot price on date of shipment plus ten percent). Total coverage was $9,855,333.

Armada also had an open policy of marine insurance with the London underwriters for the period April 20, 1982 to April 19, 1983. This insurance was purchased through Johnson & Higgins (“J & H”), a Houston broker, who in turn dealt with Willis Faber & Dumas, Ltd., a broker in London. The cover note for this insurance provided for “continuous cover” for shipments within the one-year period. It further specifically provided that the interest covered was “CRUDE OIL IN BULK.” No mention was made of loss of profit or loss of a contract as a risk. The London policy contemplated that Armada might purchase oil on various terms. It might, for example, purchase F.O.B. (free on board) a foreign port, which meant that it would take title in the foreign port and have to purchase its own insurance for the [847]*847voyage, or, as was done in the instant case, make a C.I.F. purchase.

Two clauses in the cover letter of the London policy are relevant to this litigation. The increased-value clause covered cases where Armada purchased C.I.F. and resold non-C.I.F., with the result that Armada did not provide insurance to its buyer but was itself the beneficiary of insurance during the voyage.2 This clause insured Armada for the increased value arising from the non-C.I.F. resale, and the increased-value arising from a rising market without a resale. Judge Griesa found that the increased-value coverage was only for physical loss or damage, and that the function of such coverage was to increase the insured value over what it was under the Brazilian coverage. 665 F.Supp. at 1066. Armada claims on appeal that the increased-value provision provided it with insurance against loss of profits on the Sun transaction, less what was recovered on the primary Brazilian insurance. Moreover, Armada contends on appeal that, even if the increased-value clause would normally provide insurance only against physical loss, the parties agreed to coverage of lost profits at a meeting between representatives of Armada and J & H in Houston on November 30, 1982.

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Bluebook (online)
858 F.2d 842, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/armada-supply-inc-v-wright-ca2-1988.