In re Daebo International Shipping Co.

543 B.R. 47, 2016 A.M.C. 187, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 4167, 61 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 254, 2015 WL 8809685
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 15, 2015
DocketCase No. 15-10616 (MEW)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 543 B.R. 47 (In re Daebo International Shipping Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Daebo International Shipping Co., 543 B.R. 47, 2016 A.M.C. 187, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 4167, 61 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 254, 2015 WL 8809685 (N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION GRANTING MOTION TO VACATE RULE B ATTACHMENTS

MICHAEL E. WILES, UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY JUDGE

. The foreign representative of Daebo International Shipping Co., LTD has asked the Court to vacate maritime attachments made against the M/V DAEBO TRADER in Louisiana. The parties agree that a Korean court issued an order, before the attachments were made, that stayed creditors from attaching assets of Daebo. The creditors argue that the attachments and the creditors’ claims are really being asserted against the registered owner of the TRADER,, Shinhan Capital Co., and are not barred by the Korean court’s stay order. Alternatively, they argue that the Court should permit the attachments to protect the interests of the U.S. creditors. The Court concludes that the attachments should be vacated.

FACTS

A. The Korean Proceedings

Daebo is organized under the laws of the Republic of Korea. It is in the business of shipping dry bulk -cargoes (iron ore, coal, grains, etc.)- and its-vessels often dock in U.S. ports. ■

In February 2015, Daebo applied for rehabilitation under the. Republic of Korea’s Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act (the “DRBA”). Article 45(1) of the DRBA permits a court to issue a stay order that prevents any creditor from enforcing a judgment, attaching assets or taking other actions to collect a claim against the entity being rehabilitated.1 [50]*50The Korean court may issue a stay order before it rules on the application to commence rehabilitation proceedings. The Korean court issued such an order on February 13; it states:

Any and all enforcement, 'provisional attachment, provisional disposition or auction for execution of mortgage by any rehabilitation creditors’ or secured rehabilitation creditors based on'their rehabilitation claims or rehabilitation security right is prohibited- until the 'court renders' its order with respect - to the application for commencement of rehabilitation proceedings. ■->

[PX-4] The stay order became effective when it was served on Daebo, which happened the samé day the order was issued. See' DRBA, art. 46(2); Lim Deck 2 at ¶8 [PX-3].' ' '

In March 2015, the Korean Court entered an order that formally commenced Daebo’s rehabilitation proceeding. [PX-5] It appointed Chang-Jung Kim, the chief executive officer of Daebo, to take custody of Daebo’s assets and to conduct all of Daebo’s business.- Lim Deck 1 [PX-2], at Ex. F. -.-Mr. Kim’s authority includes The ability.-to talce actions required under.foreign law and procedures. DRBA, art. 640. Mr.: Kim promptly filed: a chapter 15 petition in this Court in March 2015; and the Court later entered an Order granting Recognition of the Korean proceeding and recognizing Mr. Kim’s status as the foreign representative of Daebo. [PX-20].

B. The Daebo-Shinhan Lease

In. November 2007 JDaebo purported to sell the TRADER to Shinhan .and to lease it back from Shinhan. The Lease provides that Daebo must indemnify Shinhan against any maritime attachments. [PX-22, art. 30.]

Although the. 2007 transaction took the form of a sale and leaseback, the Lease (including the “Special Clauses” attached thereto) has many features that more closely resemble a secured debt.. The rent payments are based on the amounts needed to repay the money that was advanced by Shinhan, plus an agreed interest rate. (Lease, art. 11; “Special Clauses,” arts. 3 and 5.) The lease has a ten-year term, at which point Daebo has the right to take title to the vessel at no further cost. (Special Clauses, art. 9), The risk of loss rests with Daebo during the ‘ lease term, no't Shinhan. (Lease, arts. 16, 19) In the event of a default Daebo must pay a specified loss amount that includes the “outstanding principal” and “interest.” (Id., arts.20, 22) Shinhan filed a mortgage lien on the vessel to secure its rights to payments. See Transcript of hearing on October. 27, 2015, at 31:4-9; 46:19-21. [Dkt. 68] . .

Daebo’s March 2015 application to commence rehabilitation proceedings in Korea listed the TRADER as a “tangible asset” of Daebo itself. See Lim Deck 1 [PX 2], Ex. B, at 24, 42. The application also listed Shinhan as a secured creditor of Daebo, with the TRADER as collateral. Id. at 42. The Foreign Representative testified that Shinhan -and Daebo have reached agreement, with’the approval of the- Korean court, that the TRADER will be sold; the proceeds will first be used to repay the remaining “debt” owed to Shinhan, and the balance (if there is any) will be paid to Daebo for distribution to Daebo’s other creditors. See Hearing Transcript’[ECF 68] at 53-56.

C. The Creditors’ Claims and the Attachments

The TRADER was in New Orleans when the Korean court issued its stay order. Over the next several- weeks, five creditors of Daebo filed maritime attachment -proceedings in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of [51]*51Louisiana. These proceedings were filed pursuant to Rule B of the Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The creditors, and the dates of their attachments, are:

Tabular or Graphical Material not displayable at this time.

Creditor ■ .....: Date

Richardson Stevedoring & Logistics Services, Inc. 2/14/15

SPV 1, LLC 2/16/15

American Marine Services, Inc. 2/18/15

Jaldhi Overseas PTE, Ltd. 3/9/15

Lark Shipping S A v' 3/13/15

Jaldhi later dismissed its Rule ,B proceeding. The four remaining attachment creditors are referred to as the “Rule B Plaintiffs” in the papers submitted to,-this Court,, and that term will be adopted here to avoid confusion. , , ■

The Rule B Plaintiffs do not allege that, they provided services to the TRADER. Richardson and AMS contend that Daebo failed to pay for stevedoring or- survey services that were-provided for other vessels operated by.-Daebo. : [PX-11, -PX-1-3]. Lark and SPV allege that Daebo failed to perform under maritime .charter contracts for other vessels that Lark and SPV operated. [PX-15 and PX-12], The Rule B attachments were asserted in order to provide quasi in rem jurisdiction for the litigation of the Rule B Plaintiffs’1 unsecured claims. See Joint Pre-Hearing Order [ECF No. 67] at 3, ¶'8.

Daebo is a defendant in each of the Rule B proceedings. So too is Shinhan. The complaints filed by the Rule B Claimants (as amended) allege that:

• The 2007 sale/leaseback was a sham transaction under which Daebo “fraudulently” transferred • the TRADER while retaining all indicia of ownership;
• Shinhan is an “alter ego” of Daebo that should be ignored, such that the TRADER! is made available to satisfy the debts of Daebo;
• Shinhan and Daebo allegedly act as a single business entity such that there is no real separation between them;
• Shinhan’s “brass plate” registered ..ownership is. in name, only and-should be disregarded; and
• Shinhan, as the recipient of a fraudulent transfer and an “alter ego” of Daebo, should be held liable for Daebo’s debts.

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543 B.R. 47, 2016 A.M.C. 187, 2015 Bankr. LEXIS 4167, 61 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 254, 2015 WL 8809685, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-daebo-international-shipping-co-nysb-2015.