Horizon Lines, LLC v. United States

33 Ct. Int'l Trade 1504, 657 F. Supp. 2d 1356
CourtUnited States Court of International Trade
DecidedJuly 1, 2009
DocketCourt No.: 07-00039
StatusPublished

This text of 33 Ct. Int'l Trade 1504 (Horizon Lines, LLC v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of International Trade primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Horizon Lines, LLC v. United States, 33 Ct. Int'l Trade 1504, 657 F. Supp. 2d 1356 (cit 2009).

Opinion

ORDER

I.

Introduction

WALLACH, Judge:

On June 3, 2009, Defendant United States (“Defendant”) made an oral Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law Dismissing Plaintiff Horizon Lines, LLC’s (“Plaintiff’) Cause of [1505]*1505Action Contesting the Partial Dutiability of Tug Charges (“Defendant’sMotion”) pursuant to USCIT Rule 52(c). Based upon the following findings of fact and conclusions of law, Defendant’s Motion is GRANTED.

II

Findings of Fact

1. On July 7, 2006, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“Customs”) in Headquarters Ruling No. W116467 rejected Plaintiff’s argument made in the underlying protest that the tug expenses associated with the dry docking of the CSX HAWAII, a U.S.-flag C6 Class steam vessel, now named HORIZON HAWAII (“HAWAII”) in Lisnave, Mitrena Yard in Setubal, Portugal (“Lisnave”) in 2002 were a single purpose expense incurred for non-dutiable inspections. Customs instead found that the tug towage costs at issue appeared clearly to be a dual purpose expense, in part undertaken due to dutiable vessel repairs and, as such, were dutiable on a pro-rated basis.

2. Plaintiff paid duty in the amount of $11,374.30 on the pro-rated portion of the tug charges set forth in Invoice No. 220-1495/Barwil, Owner’s Ref. No. 1507 for towage related to the HAWAII at Lisnave.

3. Plaintiff’s dry docking specifications for the HAWAII required in addition to the inspections, repair items be dealt with while the vessel was in dry dock.

4. The testimony of Mark Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-1” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “PAINTING PREPARATION” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

5. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-4a” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “FLAT BOTTOM” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

6. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-4b” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “VERTICAL SIDES” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

[1506]*15067. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-7” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “MISCELLANEOUS DRYDOCK PAINTING” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

8. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-8” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “CATHODIC PROTECTION SYSTEM ALTERNATIVE A” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

9. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-11” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “RUDDER. RUDDER HORN” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

10. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-13” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “MAIN SCOOP TO CONDENSER” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

11. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-14” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “ROPE GUARD” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

12. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.1-16” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “RUDDER POST GLAND PACKING” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

13. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.2-8” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge [1507]*1507titled “STERN TUBE SHAFT SEAL RENEWAL” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

14. The testimony of Mr. Cianci and the uncontested facts showed that the repair work performed pursuant to owner’s reference number “3.2-33” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN, for the charge titled “S.W. SERVICE OVBD HULL PENETRATION RENEWALS” is the type of work customarily performed only when a vessel is in a dry dock and was required to be done during the dry docking according to Plaintiff’s dry dock specifications.

15. The testimony of Mr. Cianci showed that the work performed pursuant to owner’s reference numbers “3.1-1, 3.1-4a, 3.1-4b, 3.1-7, 3.1-8, 3.1-11, 3.1-13, 3.1-14, 3.1-16, 3.2-8, and 3.2-33” of Lisnave Invoice No. 00174/2002/LISN consisted of repair work.

16. Plaintiff conceded in response to a question from the court during argument on Defendant’s USCIT Rule 52(c) motion, that in fact, certain repair work was performed in dry dock which could only have been done in dry dock, while the HAWAII was at Lisnave in 2002.

17. The testimony of Mr. Cianci showed that the tug expenses used to push the HAWAII both on and off the dry dock at Lisnave in 2002 were necessarily incurred to accomplish dutiable repairs.

18. Should any Finding of Fact designated herein, be more properly deemed a Conclusion of Law, it is so designated.

Ill

Conclusions Of Law

1. Under 28 U.S.C. § 2639(a)(1), Customs’ decision is “presumed to be correct” and the “burden of proving otherwise shall rest upon the party challenging such decision.”

2. Plaintiff argued at trial that Customs improperly applied and impermissibly expanded the ruling in SL Serv., Inc. v. United States,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
33 Ct. Int'l Trade 1504, 657 F. Supp. 2d 1356, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/horizon-lines-llc-v-united-states-cit-2009.