Title: J. Gregory Carwie, conservator for and on behalf of Emil Harris v. Peter Knudsen, A/S (Appeal from Mobile Circuit Court: CV-08-900682). Affirmed. No Opinion.

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

REL:08/24/2012 
Notice: T h i s 
o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o f o r m a l 
r e v i s i o n b e f o r e 
p u b l i c a t i o n i n 
t h e 
advance 
s h e e t s o f 
Southern Reporter. 
R e a d e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o 
n o t i f y t h e 
Reporter of 
Decisions, 
Alabama 
A p p e l l a t e 
C o u r t s , 
300 D e x t e r Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36104-3741 
((334) 
2 2 9 - 0 6 4 9 ) , o f 
any t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n 
o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s may be made 
b e f o r e t h e 
o p i n i o n i s 
p r i n t e d i n 
Southern Reporter. 
SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA 
SPECIAL TERM, 2012 
1100697 
J. Gregory Carwie, conservator f o r 
and 
on behalf 
of 
Emil Harris 
v. 
Peter Knudsen A/S 
Appeal from Mobile C i r c u i t Court 
(CV-08-900682) 
PER CURIAM. 
See R u l e 5 3 ( a ) ( 1 ) and (a) 
( 2 ) ( C ) , A l a . 
R. App. P. 
AFFIRMED. 
NO OPINION. 
Malone, C.J., 
and W o o d a l l , 
B o l i n , Murdock, Shaw, and 
Main, J J . , c o n c u r . 
1100697 
S t u a r t and P a r k e r , J J . , d i s s e n t . 
Wise, J . , r e c u s e s h e r s e l f . 
2 
1100697 
STUART, J u s t i c e 
( d i s s e n t i n g ) . 
J . 
Gregory 
Carwie, 
c o n s e r v a t o r f o r E m i l 
H a r r i s , 
sued 
P e t e r Knudsen A/S 
("Knudsen") i n the M o b i l e C i r c u i t 
C o u r t , 
s e e k i n g damages f o r i n j u r i e s H a r r i s s u f f e r e d i n a f a l l w h i l e 
p e r f o r m i n g r e p a i r s on the M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga, a Knudsen-owned 
cargo s h i p , w h i l e i t was i n drydock a t a s h i p y a r d i n M o b i l e , 
H a r r i s o n B r o t h e r s Drydock & R e p a i r Y a r d , I n c . 
The m a j o r i t y 
a f f i r m s the judgment i n f a v o r o f Knudsen; however, f o r t h e 
reasons t h a t f o l l o w I r e s p e c t f u l l y 
d i s s e n t . 
The 
U n i t e d 
S t a t e s 
D i s t r i c t 
C o u r t 
f o r 
the 
S o u t h e r n 
D i s t r i c t o f Alabama p r o v i d e d the f o l l o w i n g g e n e r a l background 
f o r 
t h i s case i n In r e P e t e r Knudsen A/S, 
710 F. Supp. 2d 
1252, 1256 
(S.D. A l a . 2 0 1 0 ) : 
" A t a l l t i m e s 
r e l e v a n t h e r e t o , Knudsen, a 
D a n i s h 
c o r p o r a t i o n , owned the M/V V i n l a n d SAGA, which i s a 
D a n i s h g e n e r a l cargo v e s s e l . 
T h i s v e s s e l has 
two 
w o r k i n g 
cargo h o l d s , Number One 
H o l d f o r w a r d 
and 
Number Two 
H o l d a f t , which were s e p a r a t e d i n t o 
two 
d e c k s , a l o w e r h o l d and a 'tween d e c k . ' 
In o r d e r t o 
e n t e r Number One 
H o l d from the weather 
deck/main 
deck, a c c e s s must be made t h r o u g h an opening on the 
main/weather deck. 
In o r d e r t o 
t r a v e l 
from 
the 
main/weather deck t o the bottom o f the cargo h o l d , 
a p e r s o n would need t o descend an a c c e s s l a d d e r v i a 
a s m a l l opening or h a t c h c o v e r on the main 
deck. 
The l a d d e r from the main deck s t o p p e d a t the 'tween 
d e c k ' 
which 
c o n s i s t e d 
o f 
a 
l e d g e 
o r 
' c a t w a l k ' 
r u n n i n g 
around 
the p e r i m e t e r 
o f 
the 
h o l d . 
The 
'tween d e c k ' was a p p r o x i m a t e l y seven 
f e e t from the 
3 
1100697 
bottom 
(tank top) 
of the h o l d and about f o u r 
f e e t 
wide. 
The 
'tween d e c k ' was 
c o m p r i s e d 
o f 
m e t a l 
p l a t e s w h i c h c o u l d be opened t o a l l o w 
f u l l use 
o f 
the c a r g o h o l d , 
i . e . from the bottom o f the 
c a r g o 
h o l d 
(sometimes r e f e r r e d t o as the ' t a n k top') a l l 
the way 
t o the main h a t c h c o v e r s on the weather/main 
deck. 
I f 
the 
'tween 
d e c k ' s ' 
f l o o r 
p l a t e s 
were 
removed, the l e d g e or c a t w a l k was open t o the bottom 
of the cargo h o l d or t a n k t o p . 
A f t e r c l i m b i n g down 
the a c c e s s l a d d e r from the main deck t o the 'tween 
d e c k , ' a p e r s o n would have 
t o 
walk 
a 
few 
f e e t 
f o r w a r d and descend a second l a d d e r t o the bottom or 
t a n k t o p . 
a 
When 
" I n e a r l y March 2006, the V i n l a n d SAGA l o a d e d 
cargo of heavy anchor c h a i n s i n B i l b a o , S p a i n . 
Wh 
the anchor c h a i n was 
l o a d e d 
i n B i l b a o , the 'tween 
d e c k s ' were open a l l o w i n g the c h a i n t o 
f i l l up most 
of 
the 
cargo 
h o l d . 
John 
Sorenson 
and 
C a p t a i n 
Hovgaard were the c a p t a i n s and John A n d r e a s s e n 
was 
the 
c h i e f e n g i n e e r 
a b o a r d 
the 
v e s s e l 
d u r i n g 
the 
voyage from B i l b a o . 
C a p t a i n Sorenson t e s t i f i e d t h a t 
the crew put 
l a s h i n g s 
t o s e c u r e the 'tween d e c k ' 
p l a t e s i n p l a c e p r i o r t o the sea voyage from B i l b a o 
t o the U n i t e d S t a t e s . 
In r o u t e t o P o r t Forchon, the 
V i n l a n d SAGA s u f f e r e d a breakdown i n i t s p r o p u l s i o n 
system near the Bahamas. 
A f t e r b e i n g towed s e v e r a l 
t i m e s , 
the 
v e s s e l 
u l t i m a t e l y a r r i v e d i n 
M o b i l e , 
Alabama." 
( C a p i t a l i z a t i o n 
i n o r i g i n a l ; c i t a t i o n s 
t o r e c o r d 
o m i t t e d . ) 
The M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga a r r i v e d a t the H a r r i s o n B r o t h e r s 
s h i p y a r d 
i n M o b i l e on August 21, 2006. 
H a r r i s o n B r o t h e r s p e r s o n n e l 
and 
the s h i p ' s o f f i c e r s then j o i n t l y i n s p e c t e d the s h i p t o s u r v e y 
the work t h a t needed t o be completed, and, on August 30, 2006, 
the 
M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga was 
moved t o d r y d o c k so 
t h a t 
r e p a i r s 
4 
1100697 
c o u l d 
b e g i n . 
The M/V V i n l a n d Saga's six-man crew remained onboard t h e 
s h i p w h i l e i t was i n d r y d o c k u n d e r g o i n g r e p a i r ; t h e crew was 
a c t i v e l y engaged i n p e r f o r m i n g 
s e p a r a t e 
r e p a i r s d u r i n g 
t h i s 
t i m e . 
The crew d i d not work on t h e same p r o j e c t s as 
d i d 
s h i p y a r d p e r s o n n e l ; however, i t 
i s u n d i s p u t e d 
t h a t b o t h t h e 
s h i p ' s crew and s h i p y a r d p e r s o n n e l had p r o j e c t s i n 
b o t h o f 
t h e 
s h i p ' s 
cargo 
h o l d s . 
On 
September 28, 2006, 
H a r r i s , a 
p i p e f i t t e r by t r a d e , was t a s k e d by H a r r i s o n 
B r o t h e r s 
w i t h 
removing t h e f i r e - l i n e p i p i n g from t h e 
M/V V i n l a n d Saga. 
T h i s 
t a s k r e q u i r e d H a r r i s t o descend t o t h e bottom o f t h e Number 
One H o l d . 
H a r r i s was accompanied i n t h i s t a s k by a w e l d e r , 
and, as t h e y descended i n t o t h e 
Number One H o l d f o r 
t h e f i r s t 
t i m e , H a r r i s , upon r e a c h i n g t h e tween deck, s t e p p e d a s i d e t o 
g i v e t h e w e l d e r some room t o come down t h e l a d d e r . 
I n d o i n g 
so, H a r r i s s t e p p e d o f f 
o f t h e unguarded tween-deck l e d g e and 
f e l l 
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 
seven 
f e e t t o t h e bottom o f t h e h o l d , 
s u f f e r i n g a s e v e r e head 
i n j u r y 
t h a t has r e q u i r e d 
m u l t i p l e 
s u r g e r i e s and a l e n g t h y 
r e h a b i l i t a t i o n . 
Because o f t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s 
o f h i s i n j u r y , 
H a r r i s 
r e c e i v e d w o r k e r s ' 
compensation 
b e n e f i t s under t h e f e d e r a l 
5 
1100697 
Longshore and 
Harbor Workers' Compensation A c t ("the 
LHWCA"), 
33 U.S.C. § 901 e t s e q . , 
as opposed t o 
t h e 
Alabama Workers' 
Compensation A c t , § 25-5-1 e t s e q . , 
A l a . 
Code 1975. 
L i k e 
t r a d i t i o n a l s t a t e w o r k e r s ' compensation s t a t u t e s , t h e 
LHWCA 
s e t s f o r t h a compensation scheme f o r 
i n j u r e d longshoremen 
and 
s h i p y a r d workers t h a t i s 
g e n e r a l l y t h e i r e x c l u s i v e remedy 
f o r 
o n - t h e - j o b 
i n j u r i e s . 
However, § 905(b) o f t h e LHWCA does 
p e r m i t a c o v e r e d worker t o a s s e r t a n e g l i g e n c e 
c l a i m 
a g a i n s t 
the owner o f 
a s h i p on w h i c h t h e 
worker i s 
i n j u r e d , 
s t a t i n g : 
" I n t h e 
event o f i n j u r y t o 
a p e r s o n c o v e r e d under t h i s c h a p t e r 
caused by t h e n e g l i g e n c e o f a v e s s e l , then such p e r s o n , o r 
anyone 
o t h e r w i s e 
e n t i t l e d 
t o r e c o v e r 
damages by 
r e a s o n 
t h e r e o f , may b r i n g an a c t i o n a g a i n s t such v e s s e l as a t h i r d 
p a r t y 
"
1 
On A p r i l 30, 2008, C a r w i e , as c o n s e r v a t o r 
f o r 
H a r r i s , 
i n i t i a t e d an a c t i o n 
a g a i n s t Knudsen p u r s u a n t t o § 9 0 5 ( b ) , 
a s s e r t i n g , among o t h e r c l a i m s , t h a t H a r r i s ' s i n j u r i e s were 
t h e 
r e s u l t o f 
Knudsen's n e g l i g e n c e as 
t h e 
owner o f 
t h e 
M/V V i n l a n d  
Saga. 
I n s t e a d o f f i l i n g an answer t o t h a t c o m p l a i n t , 
Knudsen 
i n i t i a t e d 
a 
l i m i t a t i o n - o f - l i a b i l i t y 
a c t i o n i n t h e U n i t e d 
1 " V e s s e l " i s 
d e f i n e d i n 
33 
U.S.C. § 902(21) t o 
i n c l u d e 
t h e 
" v e s s e l ' s owner, owner p r o 
hac v i c e , agent, o p e r a t o r 
" 
6 
1100697 
S t a t e s D i s t r i c t C o u r t f o r t h e S o u t h e r n D i s t r i c t o f Alabama, 
w h i c h s u b s e q u e n t l y 
e n t e r e d an o r d e r 
l i m i t i n g t h e scope o f 
s t a t e - c o u r t p r o c e e d i n g s 
w h i l e i t c o n s i d e r e d 
c e r t a i n f e d e r a l 
i s s u e s . 
U l t i m a t e l y , however, t h e f e d e r a l i s s u e s r e q u i r e d t h e 
f e d e r a l 
d i s t r i c t 
c o u r t 
t o c o n s i d e r 
t h e i s s u e 
c e n t r a l 
t o 
C a r w i e ' s s t a t e - c o u r t c l a i m : Whether Knudsen had i n f a c t been 
n e g l i g e n t . 
Both Carwie and Knudsen 
f i l e d motions i n t h e 
f e d e r a l d i s t r i c t c o u r t f o r 
a summary judgment f o c u s i n g on t h a t 
i s s u e and s p e c i f i c a l l y whether Knudsen had b r e a c h e d any o f t h e 
d u t i e s a shipowner owes t o longshoremen o r s h i p y a r d workers 
w o r k i n g aboard i t s s h i p . As t h e f e d e r a l d i s t r i c t c o u r t 
n o t e d 
i n i t s A p r i l 28, 2010, o r d e r r u l i n g on t h o s e m o t i o n s : 
"'The 
s t a r t i n g p o i n t i n t h i s r e g a r d must be [ t h e Supreme 
C o u r t ' s ] 
d e c i s i o n i n S c i n d i a Steam [Nav. Co., L t d . v. De Los 
Santos, 
451 U.S. 
156, 101 S.Ct. 1614, 68 L.Ed.2d 1 ( 1 9 8 1 ) , ] which 
o u t l i n e d 
t h e 
t h r e e 
g e n e r a l 
d u t i e s 
s h i p o w n e r s 
owe 
t o 
longshoremen.'" 710 F. Supp. 2d a t 1269 
( q u o t i n g H o w l e t t v.  
B i r k d a l e S h i p p i n g Co., S.A., 
512 U.S. 92, 98 
(1994)). 
The 
Supreme C o u r t has d e s c r i b e d t h e t h r e e g e n e r a l d u t i e s o u t l i n e d 
i n S c i n d i a Steam N a v i g a t i o n Co. v. De Los Santos, 451 U.S. 156 
(1981), as f o l l o w s : 
7 
1100697 
"The 
f i r s t , 
w h i c h 
c o u r t s 
have come t o 
c a l l 
the 
' t u r n o v e r 
d u t y , ' 
r e l a t e s t o the 
c o n d i t i o n of 
the 
s h i p 
upon 
the 
commencement 
o f 
s t e v e d o r i n g 
o p e r a t i o n s . 
See 
[ S c i n d i a ] a t 167. 
The second d u t y , 
a p p l i c a b l e once s t e v e d o r i n g 
o p e r a t i o n s have begun, 
p r o v i d e s 
t h a t a shipowner must e x e r c i s e 
r e a s o n a b l e 
c a r e 
t o p r e v e n t 
i n j u r i e s 
t o longshoremen i n a r e a s 
t h a t 
remain 
under 
the 
' a c t i v e 
c o n t r o l 
o f 
the 
v e s s e l . ' 
I b i d . 
The 
t h i r d d u t y , c a l l e d the 'duty t o 
i n t e r v e n e , ' concerns the v e s s e l ' s o b l i g a t i o n s w i t h 
r e g a r d 
t o 
cargo 
o p e r a t i o n s 
i n 
areas 
under 
the 
p r i n c i p a l c o n t r o l o f the independent s t e v e d o r e . 
See 
i d . , a t 167-178." 
H o w l e t t , 
512 
U.S. 
a t 
98. 
The 
f e d e r a l 
d i s t r i c t 
c o u r t 
a c c o r d i n g l y 
r e v i e w e d 
the 
e v i d e n c e 
s u b m i t t e d 
by 
Carwie 
and 
Knudsen i n s u p p o r t 
of 
t h e i r summary-judgment motions 
w i t h 
r e g a r d 
t o t h e s e t h r e e 
d u t i e s 
and 
h e l d 
t h a t 
f a c t u a l 
i s s u e s 
p r e c l u d e d 
the e n t r y o f a summary judgment i n e i t h e r p a r t y ' s 
f a v o r w i t h r e g a r d t o whether Knudsen had b r e a c h e d the a c t i v e -
c o n t r o l d u t y or the d u t y t o i n t e r v e n e ; however, i t h e l d t h a t 
Knudsen was 
e n t i t l e d t o a summary judgment w i t h r e g a r d t o the 
t u r n o v e r d u t y . 
The 
f e d e r a l d i s t r i c t c o u r t then c o n c l u d e d i t s 
o r d e r e n t e r i n g a p a r t i a l summary judgment i n f a v o r o f Knudsen 
by n o t i n g t h a t the i s s u e whether the second and t h i r d S c i n d i a 
d u t i e s were b r e a c h e d remained t o be t r i e d . 
710 F. Supp. 2d a t 
1274. 
The r e c o r d b e f o r e t h i s C o u r t does not r e v e a l e x a c t l y what 
8 
1100697 
t r a n s p i r e d n e x t i n t h e f e d e r a l 
d i s t r i c t 
c o u r t ; however, 
i t 
a p p a r e n t l y e l e c t e d t o l e t t h e s t a t e - c o u r t a c t i o n p r o c e e d and 
f o r t h e s t a t e c o u r t t o conduct t h e t r i a l t o d e t e r m i n e whether 
the second and t h i r d 
S c i n d i a d u t i e s had been b r e a c h e d . 
A 
f o u r - d a y n o n j u r y 
t r i a l was h e l d b e g i n n i n g J a n u a r y 10, 
2011, 
and, a t 
t h e 
c l o s e o f a l l t h e 
e v i d e n c e , Knudsen moved t h e t r i a l 
c o u r t t o e n t e r a judgment i n 
i t s f a v o r . 
On F e b r u a r y 3, 
2011, 
the 
t r i a l c o u r t g r a n t e d t h a t motion w i t h o u t making 
s p e c i f i c 
f i n d i n g s o f f a c t and 
w i t h o u t e x p l a i n i n g i t s r a t i o n a l e . 
Carwie 
s u b s e q u e n t l y a p p e a l e d t h a t judgment, and i t 
now 
f a l l s 
upon 
t h i s C o u r t t o r e v i e w t h a t judgment p u r s u a n t t o t h e f o l l o w i n g 
s t a n d a r d o f r e v i e w : 
"Because 
t h e 
t r i a l 
j u d g e 
made no 
s p e c i f i c 
f i n d i n g s o f f a c t , 
t h i s C o u r t 
w i l l assume t h a t t h e 
t r i a l j u d g e made t h o s e f i n d i n g s n e c e s s a r y t o s u p p o r t 
the judgment. 
F i t z n e r P o n t i a c - B u i c k - C a d i l l a c , 
I n c . 
 
v. P e r k i n s & A s s o c s . , I n c . , 578 So. 2d 1061 ( A l a . 
1991). 
Under t h e 
o r e tenus r u l e , t h e t r i a l c o u r t ' s 
judgment and a l l i m p l i c i t 
f i n d i n g s 
n e c e s s a r y t o 
s u p p o r t i t 
c a r r y a p r e s u m p t i o n o f c o r r e c t n e s s and 
w i l l n o t 
be r e v e r s e d u n l e s s 'found t o 
be p l a i n l y and 
p a l p a b l y wrong.' 
F i t z n e r , 578 So. 2d a t 1063. 'The 
t r i a l 
c o u r t ' s judgment i n such a case 
w i l l 
be 
a f f i r m e d , 
i f , under any r e a s o n a b l e a s p e c t o f t h e 
t e s t i m o n y , t h e r e i s 
c r e d i b l e e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t 
t h e 
judgment.' 
C l a r k v. A l b e r t v i l l e N u r s i n g Home, I n c . , 
545 So. 2d 9, 13 ( A l a . 1989); see, a l s o , Norman v.  
Schwartz, 594 So. 2d 45 ( A l a . 1991)." 
T r a n s a m e r i c a Commercial F i n . Corp. v. AmSouth Bank, N.A., 60 
8 
9 
1100697 
So. 2d 375, 
378 
( A l a . 1992). 
Thus, t h i s C o u r t must a f f i r m the 
judgment i n f a v o r of Knudsen u n l e s s Carwie e s t a b l i s h e s 
t h a t 
t h a t judgment i s " p l a i n l y and p a l p a b l y wrong," t h a t i s , w h o l l y 
w i t h o u t c r e d i b l e e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t i t . As w i l l be 
e x p l a i n e d 
below, 
I 
b e l i e v e 
Carwie 
has 
met 
t h a t 
burden; 
the 
o n l y 
c o n c l u s i o n t h a t can be made based on the e v i d e n c e adduced a t 
t r i a l i s t h a t Knudsen d i d i n f a c t b r e a c h the S c i n d i a a c t i v e -
c o n t r o l d u t y . 
The 
a c t i v e - c o n t r o l d u t y 
was 
d e s c r i b e d 
as 
f o l l o w s 
i n 
S c i n d i a : 
" I t 
i s a l s o a c c e p t e d t h a t the v e s s e l may 
be 
l i a b l e 
i f 
i t 
a c t i v e l y 
i n v o l v e s 
i t s e l f 
i n 
the 
cargo 
o p e r a t i o n s and n e g l i g e n t l y i n j u r e s a longshoreman or 
i f i t f a i l s t o e x e r c i s e due 
care t o a v o i d e x p o s i n g 
longshoremen t o harm from h a z a r d s t h e y may 
e n c o u n t e r 
i n 
a r e a s , 
or 
from 
equipment, 
under 
the 
a c t i v e 
c o n t r o l 
of 
the 
v e s s e l 
d u r i n g 
the 
s t e v e d o r i n g 
o p e r a t i o n . " 
451 U.S. 
a t 167. 
Carwie argues t h a t the u n d i s p u t e d e v i d e n c e 
e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t 
the Number One 
H o l d was 
under the 
a c t i v e 
c o n t r o l o f Knudsen d u r i n g the time the s h i p y a r d crew worked on 
the M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga and t h a t Knudsen f a i l e d t o e x e r c i s e 
due 
care 
t o 
p r o t e c t 
H a r r i s 
from 
the 
open 
tween 
deck, 
thus 
b r e a c h i n g 
i t s d u t y t o him. 
Knudsen argues t h a t i t p r e s e n t e d 
ore tenus e v i d e n c e i n d i c a t i n g t h a t i t had t u r n e d over c o n t r o l 
10 
1100697 
of t h e e n t i r e s h i p t o t h e s h i p y a r d and t h a t t h e t r i a l 
c o u r t ' s 
judgment s h o u l d 
a c c o r d i n g l y be a f f i r m e d . 
However, 
a l t h o u g h 
Knudsen's w i t n e s s e s d i d 
t e s t i f y t h a t t h e 
M/V V i n l a n d Saga was 
under t h e c o n t r o l o f t h e s h i p y a r d a t t h e time o f H a r r i s ' s 
i n j u r y , 
t h a t c o n c l u s o r y 
t e s t i m o n y 
i s r e f u t e d by t h e a c t u a l 
e v i d e n c e . 
I t i s u n d i s p u t e d 
i n t h i s case t h a t t h e crew o f t h e M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga was a c t i v e l y engaged i n i t s 
own r e p a i r p r o j e c t s 
w h i l e t h e M/V 
V i n l a n d 
Saga was i n drydock and t h a t 
crew 
members d i d t h e i r own work i n t h e same g e n e r a l 
areas where 
H a r r i s o n B r o t h e r s p e r s o n n e l worked, i n c l u d i n g t h e Number One 
H o l d . 
The t e s t i m o n y 
p r o v i d e d 
by Jonas L y b o r g , 
Knudsen's 
c o m b i n a t i o n f a c t and e x p e r t w i t n e s s , under 
c r o s s - e x a m i n a t i o n 
i l l u s t r a t e s 
t h e s e 
f a c t s and a l s o 
s e r v e s 
as t h e b a s i s f o r 
Knudsen's argument as t o why i t 
d i d 
not have a c t i v e c o n t r o l 
over t h e tween-deck a r e a : 
"Q. But t h e s h i p never took a s t e p back here i n 
t h e 
cargo h o l d , d i d 
i t ? The s h i p c o n t i n u e d t o work 
i n 
t h e cargo 
h o l d t h e same 
a r e a 
where t h e 
s h i p y a r d was w o r k i n g ? 
"A. They 
were 
d o i n g 
p a i n t i n g 
and 
c h i p p i n g 
i n 
v a r i o u s cargo h o l d s , y e s , a c c o r d i n g t o them. 
"Q. Day a f t e r day from August 1 4 t h on t h r o u g h t h e 
date o f t h e a c c i d e n t , 
c o r r e c t ? 
11 
1100697 
"A. 
I t ' s mentioned i n the l o g book s e v e r a l 
t i m e s , 
yes, 
f r e q u e n t l y . 
"Q. 
I t ' s an ongoing 
p r o c e s s ? 
"A. 
Looks l i k e i t . 
"Q. 
And you r e v i e w e d the handover r e p o r t the 
n i g h t 
b e f o r e the a c c i d e n t , 
c o r r e c t ? 
"A. 
I've seen the handover r e p o r t , yes. 
"Q. 
And 
the c a p t a i n 
s a i d t h a t major work has been 
g o i n g 
on 
i n 
the 
h o l d s 
p l u r a l , 
b o t h 
h o l d s , 
c o r r e c t ? 
"A. 
Yes. 
"Q. 
And i t ' s 
not 
f i n a l y e t , c o r r e c t ? 
"A. 
No, 
the 
handover 
r e p o r t 
i n d i c a t e s 
i t ' s not 
f i n a l . 
"Q. 
So i t ' s 
g o i n g t o c o n t i n u e i n the f u t u r e , okay. 
So i n t h a t s c e n a r i o the s h i p c o n t r o l s the same 
a r e a where the s h i p y a r d i s w o r k i n g , 
the 
cargo 
h o l d ? 
"A. 
No. 
"Q. 
Why 
n o t ? 
"A. 
C o n t r o l the a r e a would have meant t h a t the crew 
member would be s t a n d i n g on deck a t t h a t h a t c h , 
t h a t a c c e s s h a t c h t h a t was a l l 
b e f o r e and 
say, 
'Mr. 
L y b o r g , 
you 
are g o i n g down t o the 
cargo 
h o l d . 
Okay, I a c c e p t 
t h a t . 
Mr. 
Smith, 
you 
want t o go down? 
No you are not g o i n g down.' 
So t h e y d i d not c o n t r o l the a c c e s s t o the cargo 
h o l d a t a l l . And on the s p e c i f i c morning where 
12 
1100697 
the 
a c c i d e n t happened, t h e r e was — 
we don't 
even know i f 
t h e r e was any crew members t h e r e . 
"Q. But t h e s h i p ' s crew used t h e same a c c e s s as 
t h e 
s h i p y a r d , 
c o r r e c t ? 
"A. The crew used t h e same a c c e s s , y e s . 
"Q. And worked i n t h e same h o l d ? 
"A. Worked i n t h e same h o l d , y e s , c o r r e c t . " 
Thus, even though t h e s h i p ' s crew was a c t i v e i n 
t h e 
Number One 
H o l d where H a r r i s was i n j u r e d , Knudsen a s s e r t s t h a t i t d i d n o t 
have a c t i v e c o n t r o l over t h e a r e a because i t d i d 
not e x e r c i s e 
e x c l u s i v e and u n f e t t e r e d 
c o n t r o l over t h e a r e a . 
However, 
a l t h o u g h 
i t i s 
u n d o u b t e d l y t r u e t h a t Knudsen d i d 
n o t e x e r c i s e 
t h a t l e v e l o f c o n t r o l over t h e 
Number One H o l d , i t i s e q u a l l y 
t r u e 
t h a t t h e s h i p y a r d workers d i d n o t e x e r c i s e 
e x c l u s i v e 
c o n t r o l over t h e Number One H o l d because t h e crew members 
appear t o have had a c c e s s t o t h e h o l d whenever t h e y d e s i r e d 
i t . 
See Baham v. Nabors D r i l l i n g USA, LP, 721 F. Supp. 2d 
499, 
510 (W.D. La. 2010) ( " [ A ] l t h o u g h 
[the c o n t r a c t o r ] had 
begun h i s i n s p e c t i o n o f t h e u n d e r s i d e 
o f t h e c r a n e , [the 
c o n t r a c t o r ] never had complete c o n t r o l over t h e l a d d e r and 
walkway i n 
q u e s t i o n . 
To t h e c o n t r a r y , t h i s equipment remained 
i n 
t h e c o n t r o l o f [the shipowner] 
a t t h e time o f [ t h e 
13 
1100697 
c o n t r a c t o r ' s ] 
a c c i d e n t . [The 
shipowner's] employees were never 
d e n i e d a c c e s s t o t h e crane v i a t h e l a d d e r o r p e d e s t a l walkway 
d u r i n g [the 
c o n t r a c t o r ' s ] 
i n s p e c t i o n . " ) . 
The o n l y 
f i n d i n g t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e s u p p o r t s , 
t h e r e f o r e , 
i s t h a t Knudsen and t h e s h i p y a r d workers s h a r e d c o n t r o l over 
the Number One H o l d , i n c l u d i n g t h e tween deck. 
I n cases 
w i t h 
s i m i l a r i n s t a n c e s o f s h a r e d c o n t r o l , c o u r t s have c o n s i s t e n t l y 
h e l d t h a t t h e S c i n d i a a c t i v e - c o n t r o l d u t y i s i m p l i c a t e d when 
c o n t r o l 
over an a r e a i s s h a r e d between a s h i p ' s 
crew and 
s h i p y a r d w o r k e r s . 
See, e.g., Green v. U n i t e d S t a t e s , 700 F. 
Supp. 2d 1280, 1303 (M.D. F l a . 2010) ("The a c t i v e o p e r a t i o n s 
d u t y 
does 
n o t 
r e q u i r e 
Defendant's 
e x c l u s i v e 
c o n t r o l ; 
c o n c u r r e n t c o n t r o l i s 
s u f f i c i e n t t o i n v o k e t h e 
b r o a d e r d u t y o f 
c a r e . " ) ; D a v i s v. P o r t l i n e T r a n s p o r t e s M a r i t i m e I n t e r n a c i o n a l , 
16 F.3d 532, 537 (3d C i r . 1994) ("The a c t i v e o p e r a t i o n s d u t y 
a p p l i e s t o those a r e a s under t h e v e s s e l ' s a c t i v e c o n t r o l , even 
i f t h e s t e v e d o r e s h a r e s c o n t r o l w i t h t h e v e s s e l o r i f a t some 
e a r l i e r 
time t h e a r e a was under t h e s t e v e d o r e ' s 
e x c l u s i v e 
c o n t r o l . " ) ; and Lampkin v. L i b e r i a Athene T r a n s p o r t Co., 823 
F.2d 
1497, 1502 (11th C i r . 1987) 
( d i s c u s s i n g 
S c i n d i a and 
s t a t i n g : 
" E s t a b l i s h i n g 
d i f f e r e n t s t a n d a r d s o f 
l i a b i l i t y , 
14 
1100697 
c o n t i n g e n t 
upon 
the degree 
o f 
c o n t r o l 
e x e r c i s e d 
by 
the 
shipowner and the s t e v e d o r e , i s c e r t a i n l y d e s i r a b l e from a 
p o l i c y p e r s p e c t i v e . 
O t h e r w i s e , a shipowner would be f r e e t o 
i g n o r e hazardous c o n d i t i o n s t h a t d e v e l o p w i t h i n a r e a s under 
i t s e x c l u s i v e o r c o n c u r r e n t c o n t r o l , p e n d i n g n o t i f i c a t i o n by 
the 
s t e v e d o r e . " ) . 
Thus, because t h e crew o f the M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga s h a r e d 
a c t i v e c o n t r o l over the Number One H o l d , Knudsen had a d u t y t o 
e x e r c i s e due c a r e t o p r o t e c t H a r r i s o n B r o t h e r s p e r s o n n e l 
l i k e 
H a r r i s from h a z a r d s i n t h a t a r e a . 
Knudsen argues t h a t the 
open and unguarded tween deck H a r r i s 
f e l l 
i n t o was 
not a 
h a z a r d ; 
however, 
t h i s 
argument 
i s r e f u t e d by 
decades 
o f 
c a s e l a w 
i n d i c a t i n g t h a t 
an open 
and unguarded 
deck 
does 
p r e s e n t a h a z a r d t o s h i p y a r d w o r k e r s and longshoremen 
u n l e s s 
t h e r e i s e v i d e n c e e s t a b l i s h i n g t h a t the deck was l e f t open and 
unguarded f o r an e s s e n t i a l p u r p o s e , such as t o a l l o w f o r the 
l o a d i n g 
o f c a r g o . 
There 
i s no 
e v i d e n c e i n the 
r e c o r d , 
however, i n d i c a t i n g t h a t the tween deck had been l e f t open and 
unguarded f o r any s p e c i f i c purpose a t the time of H a r r i s ' s 
a c c i d e n t . 
15 
1100697 
The U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t of A p p e a l s 
f o r the F i r s t 
C i r c u i t 
e x p l a i n e d 
the 
t e s t 
f o r 
d e t e r m i n i n g 
whether 
a 
c o n d i t i o n 
c o n s t i t u t e s a h a z a r d 
as 
f o l l o w s i n a s i m i l a r 
case 
b r o u g h t 
p u r s u a n t t o § 905(b) of the LHWCA, s t a t i n g : 
" G e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g , the 
f a c t - f i n d e r s h o u l d 
a s s e s s 
the 
' r e a s o n a b l e n e s s ' 
o f the v e s s e l owner's conduct 
'by b a l a n c i n g the u s e f u l n e s s t o the 
[ v e s s e l ] of the 
[ a l l e g e d l y ] 
dangerous 
c o n d i t i o n 
and 
the 
burden 
i n v o l v e d i n c u r i n g i t a g a i n s t the p r o b a b i l i t y 
and 
s e v e r i t y of the harm i t p o s e s . ' " 
K e l l e r 
v. 
U n i t e d 
S t a t e s , 38 
F.3d 
16, 
25 
(1st C i r . 
1994) 
( q u o t i n g Johnson v. A/S I v a r e n s R e d e r i , 613 F.2d 334, 348 
(1st 
C i r . 
1980) 
(emphasis 
added 
i n 
K e l l e r ) ) . 
Johnson 
i s 
p a r t i c u l a r l y r e l e v a n t t o the p r e s e n t case because i t d i s c u s s e s 
the s p e c i f i c danger an open and unguarded tween deck p r e s e n t s 
and 
notes 
t h a t the 
" r e a s o n a b l e n e s s " 
a n a l y s i s i s m e r e l y 
a 
c o n t i n u a t i o n of pre-LHWCA law: 
" T h i s approach f o r d e t e r m i n i n g the r e a s o n a b l e n e s s 
of 
a s h i p b o a r d danger i s a l s o r e f l e c t e d i n the pre-1972 
law 
c o n c e r n i n g open cargo 
h a t c h e s . 
While 
i t was 
n e g l i g e n c e 
f o r a v e s s e l t o l e a v e tween deck 
h a t c h 
c o v e r s open and the h a t c h u n l i g h t e d and unguarded i f 
the 
h a t c h 
was 
not 
t o be 
l o a d e d 
w i t h 
c a r g o , 
the 
e x i s t e n c e 
of 
the 
v e r y 
same 
c o n d i t i o n s 
d i d 
not 
c o n s t i t u t e n e g l i g e n c e i f the cargo was t o be 
l o a d e d 
i n t o the h a t c h , s i n c e an open h a t c h i s e s s e n t i a l t o 
the t a s k o f l o a d i n g and u n l o a d i n g a s h i p . 
Compare 
M i l l e r v. The 
S u l t a n a , 176 F.2d 
203, 
206 
[(2d C i r . 
1 9 4 9 ) ] , w i t h B a d a l a m e n t i 
v. U n i t e d S t a t e s , 160 
F.2d 
422, 425-26 [(2d C i r . 1 9 4 7 ) ] . " 
16 
1100697 
613 F.2d a t 348. See a l s o U n i t e d S t a t e s F i d . & Guar. Co. v.  
J a d r a n s k a 
Slobodna P l o v i d b a , 683 F.2d 1022, 1026 ( 7 t h C i r . 
1982) 
( i n w h i c h 
Judge 
R i c h a r d 
Posner 
notes 
t h a t 
t h i s 
r e a s o n a b l e n e s s 
a n a l y s i s echoes t h e a n a l y s i s used by Judge 
L e a r n e d Hand i n 
a 1947 m a r i t i m e - n e g l i g e n c e case, U n i t e d S t a t e s  
v. 
C a r r o l l Towing Co., 159 F.2d 169, 173 (2d C i r . 1 9 4 7 ) ) . 
Thus, i t i s 
t h e g e n e r a l r u l e t h a t a shipowner i s 
n e g l i g e n t i n 
l e a v i n g a h a t c h o r deck open and unguarded u n l e s s i t 
does so 
f o r an e s s e n t i a l purpose, such as t h e l o a d i n g o r u n l o a d i n g o f 
c a r g o . 
In t h e p r e s e n t case, Knudsen has i d e n t i f i e d no b e n e f i t i t 
r e c e i v e d from n o t g u a r d i n g t h e open tween deck. 
I t i s a l s o 
r e a d i l y 
apparent 
t h a t t h e b u i l d e r o f t h e M/V V i n l a n d Saga 
r e c o g n i z e d t h a t an open and unguarded tween deck was a h a z a r d , 
because s o c k e t s were c o n s t r u c t e d a l o n g t h e edge o f t h e ledge 
so t h a t a s t a n c h i o n and c h a i n b a r r i e r c o u l d be i n s e r t e d when 
the tween deck was open. 
See Woodruff v. U n i t e d S t a t e s , 710 
F.2d 128, 130-31 ( 4 t h 
C i r . 1983) ("'The Navy o b v i o u s l y knew 
t h a t t h e r e was a h a z a r d i n t h i s a r e a because t h e y d e s i g n e d i n 
t h e i r p l a n s , when t h e y b u i l t t h e s h i p ... a s t a n c h i o n and rope 
system t o guard 
a g a i n s t t h a t opening.' 
P l a c i n g t h e manual 
17 
1100697 
s t a n c h i o n s as a b a r r i e r a g a i n s t [the p l a i n t i f f ] or anyone e l s e 
w o r k i n g i n the a r e a 
f a l l i n g o v e r b o a r d r e q u i r e d a minimum o f 
e f f o r t . " 
( q u o t i n g the 
t r i a l c o u r t ' s o r d e r ) ) . 
Thus, t h e r e i s no e v i d e n c e i n d i c a t i n g t h a t t h e r e was 
a 
u s e f u l r e a s o n f o r the tween-deck l e d g e t o be unguarded. 
I t i s 
a l s o a p p a r e n t t h a t a g u a r d c o u l d have been i n s t a l l e d 
w i t h o u t 
p l a c i n g any s i g n i f i c a n t burden upon Knudsen. 
As n o t e d s u p r a , 
the i n f r a s t r u c t u r e f o r i n s t a l l i n g such a guard was 
b u i l t 
i n t o 
the s h i p . 
F u r t h e r m o r e , the U n i t e d S t a t e s C o u r t of A p p e a l s f o r 
the Seventh C i r c u i t i n U n i t e d S t a t e s F i d e l i t y & Guaranty 
Co., 
683 F.2d 
a t 1027, 
a n o t h e r m a r i t i m e - n e g l i g e n c e 
case i n v o l v i n g 
a longshoreman's f a l l from an unguarded and open tween deck, 
i d e n t i f i e d v a r i o u s o t h e r l o w - c o s t ways such an a c c i d e n t c o u l d 
be 
p r e v e n t e d : 
"As 
t o 
... 
the burden of p r e c a u t i o n s , 
t h e r e were 
v a r i o u s ways the shipowner c o u l d have p r e v e n t e d 
the 
a c c i d e n t . 
He 
c o u l d have l i t 
the h o l d , l o c k e d 
the 
hatchway l e a d i n g t o i t from the weather deck ... , 
roped o f f the open h a t c h , 
or p l a c e d a s i g n a t 
the 
hatchway 
(though 
the 
e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f 
t h i s 
l a s t 
p r e c a u t i o n may 
be d o u b t e d ) . " 
There was a l s o s p e c i f i c e v i d e n c e i n t h i s case i n d i c a t i n g t h a t 
i t was 
p o s s i b l e t o use a rope g u a r d t o p r o t e c t a g a i n s t 
f a l l s 
o f f of the tween deck of the M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga. 
18 
1100697 
F i n a l l y , t h e f a c t t h a t the b u i l d e r o f t h e M/V 
V i n l a n d 
 
Saga deemed i t 
a d v i s a b l e t o i n c l u d e a b u i l t - i n s t a n c h i o n - a n d -
c h a i n system t o p r e v e n t 
f a l l s 
i n t o the open tween deck, as 
w e l l as t h e number o f l e g a l o p i n i o n s d e a l i n g w i t h 
f a l l s 
i n t o 
open d e c k s , i n d i c a t e t h a t open and unguarded decks pose a not 
i n s i g n i f i c a n t p r o b a b i l i t y o f harm. 
The p o s s i b i l i t y o f s e v e r e 
harm r e s u l t i n g from a 
f a l l o f f an a p p r o x i m a t e l y 
s e v e n - f o o t 
drop t o a m e t a l 
f l o o r i s s e l f - e v i d e n t . 
Knudsen's argument 
t h a t o t h e r s s u c c e s s f u l l y n a v i g a t e d the tween deck w h i l e moving 
from t h e main deck t o t h e bottom o f t h e h o l d might be 
c o n s i d e r e d as an argument t h a t t h e p r o b a b i l i t y o f harm posed 
by the unguarded l e d g e was 
s u f f i c i e n t l y low t h a t t h e r e was 
e f f e c t i v e l y no h a z a r d ; however, s i m i l a r arguments have been 
r e j e c t e d by o t h e r 
c o u r t s . 
See, e.g., 
J u p i t z v. 
N a t i o n a l  
S h i p p i n g Co. of S a u d i A r a b i a , 730 F. Supp. 1358, 1363 n. 9 (D. 
Md. 1990) 
("This i s not t o say, however, t h a t p r o o f t h a t a 
worker has not been 
i n j u r e d 
on 
p r e v i o u s 
o c c a s i o n s 
w h i l e 
w o r k i n g 
under 
s i m i l a r 
c o n d i t i o n s 
i s 
p r o o f 
t h a t 
t h e 
c i r c u m s t a n c e s 
e n c o u n t e r e d 
on 
t h o s e 
o c c a s i o n s 
were 
not 
u n r e a s o n a b l y h a z a r d o u s . " ) . 
Moreover, as n o t e d 
p r e v i o u s l y , 
such an argument would f l y 
i n t h e f a c e o f decades o f c a s e l a w 
19 
1100697 
h o l d i n g t h a t t h e r i s k o f s e v e r e i n j u r y posed by an unguarded 
open deck i s s u f f i c i e n t l y h i g h as t o outweigh even t h a t low 
p r o b a b i l i t y . 
See Johnson, 613 F.2d a t 342 ("The g e n e r a l r u l e 
c o n c e r n i n g i n j u r i e s r e c e i v e d by longshoremen who 
f e l l i n t o the 
open h o l d s o f s h i p s was t h a t the v e s s e l was not n e g l i g e n t i n 
l e a v i n g cargo h a t c h e s open and unguarded t o p e r m i t the l o a d i n g 
of c a r g o . 
See, e.g., M i l l e r v. The S u l t a n a , 176 F.2d 203, 206 
(2d C i r . 1949); Ove Tysko v. R o y a l M a i l Steam P a c k e t Co., 81 
F.2d 960, 962 (9th C i r . 1936); Long v. S i l v e r L i n e , L t d . , 48 
F.2d 15, 16 (2nd C i r . 1931). 
However, i t was n e g l i g e n c e f o r 
the v e s s e l t o l e a v e cargo h a t c h e s open and unguarded on a 
w o r k i n g deck i f the p a r t i c u l a r h a t c h was not t o be 
worked. 
See, e.g., B a d a l a m e n t i v. U n i t e d S t a t e s , 160 F.2d 422 (2d 
C i r . 
1947); The Omsk, 266 F. 200 
(9th C i r . 1920); West I n d i a and  
P.S.S. Co. v. W e i b e l , 113 F. 169 (5th C i r . 1 9 0 2 ) . " ) . 
Weighing 
the f a c t s t h a t the unguarded and open tween deck 
a p p a r e n t l y 
s e r v e d no u s e f u l purpose and t h a t the l e d g e c o u l d have been 
guarded w i t h a minimum o f e f f o r t a g a i n s t the p r o b a b i l i t y o f an 
a c c i d e n t and the o b v i o u s r i s k o f s e v e r e harm posed by a 
f a l l , 
one can o n l y c o n c l u d e t h a t the unguarded tween deck p r e s e n t e d 
20 
1100697 
an u n r e a s o n a b l e r i s k o f harm t o s h i p y a r d workers t r a n s f e r r i n g 
l a d d e r s on t h e tween deck and was, t h e r e f o r e , a h a z a r d . 
I m p o r t a n t l y , 
t h i s 
c o n c l u s i o n 
cannot be a v o i d e d m e r e l y 
because o f t h e a p p l i c a t i o n here o f t h e o r e tenus s t a n d a r d o f 
r e v i e w and because t h e r e was t e s t i m o n y a t t r i a l i n d i c a t i n g 
t h a t some w i t n e s s e s d i d 
n o t c o n s i d e r t h e unguarded tween deck 
t o be a h a z a r d . 
I f t h e r e was any e v i d e n c e i n t h e r e c o r d 
i n d i c a t i n g t h a t t h e s h i p ' s crew had l e f t t h e tween deck open 
and 
unguarded on t h e date o f H a r r i s ' s 
a c c i d e n t 
f o r some 
n e c e s s a r y r e a s o n o r as an e s s e n t i a l p a r t o f t h e i r work, t h e 
judgment o f t h e t r i a l 
c o u r t would o f c o u r s e be due t o be 
a f f i r m e d 
under t h e o r e tenus s t a n d a r d . 
However, no such 
e v i d e n c e has been 
i d e n t i f i e d , 
and, i n f a c t , 
Knudsen has 
emphasized t h a t t h e r e i s no e v i d e n c e e s t a b l i s h i n g t h a t t h e 
s h i p ' s crew was w o r k i n g i n 
t h e 
Number One H o l d a t a l l on 
t h e 
morning o f H a r r i s ' s a c c i d e n t b e f o r e he f e l l , which would seem 
t o i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e r e was no s p e c i a l purpose i n l e a v i n g t h e 
deck unguarded. 
I d i s a g r e e 
t h a t t h e c o n c l u s o r y 
o p i n i o n s o f 
w i t n e s s e s who b e l i e v e t h a t a c o n d i t i o n does n o t c o n s t i t u t e a 
h a z a r d -- w i t h o u t any s u p p o r t i n g e v i d e n c e o r c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f 
the 
r e l e v a n t 
a n a l y s i s -- i s s u f f i c i e n t under t h e o r e tenus 
21 
1100697 
s t a n d a r d 
t o s u p p o r t a f i n d i n g t h a t t h a t c o n d i t i o n i s not 
a 
h a z a r d , 
e s p e c i a l l y 
when 
t h o s e 
c o n c l u s o r y 
o p i n i o n s 
are 
c o n t r a d i c t e d by decades of c a s e l a w h o l d i n g t h a t decks 
l e f t 
open and unguarded f o r no a p p a r e n t r e a s o n are a h a z a r d . 
Thus, the e v i d e n c e 
i n d i c a t e s t h a t 
the unguarded tween 
deck was 
a h a z a r d i n an a r e a over which the crew of the 
M/V 
V i n l a n d Saga s h a r e d a c t i v e c o n t r o l . 
Knudsen t h e r e f o r e had 
a 
d u t y 
t o 
e x e r c i s e 
due 
c a r e 
t o 
p r o t e c t 
H a r r i s o n 
B r o t h e r s 
p e r s o n n e l 
from t h a t h a z a r d . 
I t 
f a i l e d 
t o do 
so, 
and 
t h a t 
b r e a c h , t h a t i s , the 
f a i l u r e t o guard the tween-deck 
l e d g e , 
was 
a p r o x i m a t e cause of H a r r i s ' s a c c i d e n t and 
i n j u r y . 
The 
judgment e n t e r e d 
by the 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
i n f a v o r o f Knudsen i s 
a c c o r d i n g l y u n s u p p o r t e d by the e v i d e n c e and i s t h e r e f o r e 
due 
t o be 
r e v e r s e d . 
I r e s p e c t f u l l y d i s s e n t from the 
m a j o r i t y ' s 
n o - o p i n i o n 
a f f i r m a n c e , w h i c h , I b e l i e v e , i s i n s t a r k c o n t r a s t 
t o 
decades 
o f 
j u r i s p r u d e n c e 
i n 
s i m i l a r 
m a r i t i m e 
cases 
i n v o l v i n g 
f a l l s 
i n t o unguarded and open decks. 
See, 
e.g., 
Johnson, 613 F.2d 
a t 342-48. 
P a r k e r , 
J . , 
c o n c u r s . 
22