Konfort v. The S. S. Santo Cerro

190 F. Supp. 1, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4176
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 18, 1960
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 190 F. Supp. 1 (Konfort v. The S. S. Santo Cerro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District 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
Konfort v. The S. S. Santo Cerro, 190 F. Supp. 1, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4176 (S.D.N.Y. 1960).

Opinion

LEIBELL, District Judge.

This is a suit in admiralty commenced June 15, 1956, to recover for the damage to a shipment of 437 coils of steel wire, of which libelant was the consignee and owner, delivered by United States Steel Export Company to respondent, United Fruit Company, at Pier 3, North River, December 8, 1955, in apparent good order and condition, and discharged from respondent’s S.S. Santo Cerro at the port of destination Havana, Cuba, December 12th or 13th, with their paper wrappings wet and torn, and the steel wire contents rusted. The insured value of the cargo was $7,637.50. A survey made December 23rd showed an overall damage of about 35%. The respondent, United Fruit Company, answered and denied liability.

Libelant contends that the paper wrappings were wet and the wire rusted (1) by sea water, and (2) by improper ventilation resulting in condensation and sweating on the voyage to Havana and (3) by snow and sleet which was falling when the reels of steel wire were loaded aboard the Santo Cerro at pier 3 North River on December 9, 1955. The respondent argues that the paper wrappings were not strong enough and that the steel wire must have been rusted when delivered to respondent, although its condition could not be seen because of the wrappings.

Counsel have stipulated:

“that the S.S. Santo Cerro is a single screw, geared turbine, re-
frigerated cargo vessel built in 1947, with an overall length of 385 feet 1inches, a beam of 56 feet, with a gross tonnage of 5,075 tons and a net tonnage of 2,746 tons.”

The stowage plan (Ex. B) states that the vessel’s draft forward was 17 feet 10 inches, and draft aft 19 feet 6 inches.

The Santo Cerro had four holds. Hold No. 1 was at the bow. She had five decks. The weather deck, the upper ’tween deck, the lower ’tween deck, the orlop deck, and the lower hold. In the lower hold of hatch No. 1, there were stowed 1,600 bags of sodium phosphate (72 tons). No cargo was stowed on the orlop deck and it had no hatch cover. There was cargo on the lower ’tween decks, which had a hatch cover of its own. The 437 reels of steel wire and also other cargo were stowed in the upper ’tween decks, which had a hatch cover. The regular order of loading the hold would be to load the lower hold first and work upwards.

As the cargo was being stowed a checker had a sheet on which to make a record of any cargo that came aboard in a damaged condition. There was no notation concerning any such cargo loaded into hold No. 1.

It was the practice of respondent to load the vessel with a general cargo to be carried to Carribean ports, and to load cargoes of bananas in Central America for transportation to ports in the north. On December 8th and 9th, 1955, when loading cargo in New York, the Santo Cerro was in good condition to take cargo aboard. Her holds had been inspected by an experienced representative of the National Cargo Bureau, a non-profit organization, and a pass of “readiness to load” (Ex. C) was issued December 8, 1955. “A certificate of loading” (Ex. D) was issued December 9th.

No exceptions were noted at New York, on the dock receipt issued by respondent for the 437 reels of steel wire. In answers to interrogatories the respondent has admitted that the shipment was in external good order and condi[3]*3tion when received by respondent at the port of shipment and that unqualified good order and condition receipts were given therefor. If any of the paper wrappings of the coils of wire had been stained or if they had been wet, a notation to that effect would have been made. The coils of wire were so completely covered by the paper wrappings around the coils (as an automobile tire might be covered) that the condition of the wire itself could not have been seen from an inspection of the paper covering. Respondent’s usual form of bill of lading acknowledging receipt in apparent good order and condition was issued for the shipment.

In answer to interrogatories respondent admitted that the external good order and condition of the shipment of 437 coils of steel wire changed between the time of receipt by respondent at the port of loading and delivery at destination; and that 271 coils were delivered at destination with covers torn and wet and the steel wire rusted. Respondents denied that any salt water entered any cargo compartments of the vessel. Further, respondents stated that full natural ventilation was afforded the cargo in the upper ’tween deck during the entire voyage; that the temperature of the outside air of the vessel was taken on each day of the voyage and recorded in the log book, but that no temperature of cargo was taken at any time and no dew point was taken from the area where the cargo was stowed.

Respondent also stated in answer to interrogatories that it is respondent’s contention that the cargo or its coverings were insufficient to withstand the usual handling with respect to cargo of this nature; and that respondent admitted only apparent good order and condition and would put libelant to its proof as to actual good order and condition. Respondent has not attempted to explain how the shipment became wet while in respondent’s care.

The stowage plan (Ex. B) shows where the vessel’s cargo was stowed. The respondent’s checker and stowage clerk (Siciliano) testified concerning the stowage of cargo in holds 1 and 2. The coils of wire were stowed in hold No. 1 on the upper ’tween deck, somewhat back of the square of the hatch, and also in the wings of the ’tween deck. Some unboxed tractor parts were stowed between the square of the hatch and the coils of wire. The coils of wire were stowed 10 to 14 to a pallet, and tiered 2 high.

The upper ’tween deck was lightly stowed. There was room for the circulation of air. There were two gratings, each several inches thick, placed criss-cross over each other, on the steel floor of the upper ’tween deck. This afforded a circulation of air underneath the cargo. The reels of steel wire did not rest directly on the steel deck.

The shipper, the United States Steel Export Corpoi'ation, was a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation. The reels of wire were received on November 27, 1955, by the Erie Railroad at the Cuyahoga works of the American Steel and Wire Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a division of the United States Steel Corporation. They were loaded into box car P. A. 80341, a closed steel box car, and the shipment was in apparent good order and condition at that time. The shipment in the box car P. A. 80341 arrived at Weehawken, New Jersey, on December 5, 1955, and was unloaded on December 7th into Erie barge 252, without exceptions. The Erie barge was a completely covered barge. The shipment arrived at the United Fruit Company pier No. 3, North River, on December 8th at 8 A.M.

The shipment was worked from the Erie Railroad barge to the pier between 3:30 and 5:30 P.M. on December 8th. The S.S. Santo Cerro was tied up at pier No. 3 at 5:30 P.M. December 8th, having been moved there by tugs from Weehawken. Cargo was loaded into the upper ’tween deck of hold No. 1 of the vessel in the morning of December 9th prior to noon. Loading of hold No. 1 was completed at 12 noon. The shipment of the 437 reels of steel wire, because [4]*4of its location on the upper ’tween deck was probably the next to the last of the cargo loaded into hold No. 1. The last cargo loaded into the upper ’tween deck space must have been the parts of the tractors that were placed immediately in front of some of the reels of wire at the edge of the hatch.

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190 F. Supp. 1, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4176, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/konfort-v-the-s-s-santo-cerro-nysd-1960.