The district court dismissed the complaint on the ground of res judicata.
Execution Rocks lie in New York's territorial waters.
Both New York and Connecticut license pilots to navigate ships in Long Island Sound. The effect of the 1991 amendment is to bar pilots from navigating ships between the Byram River Line and Execution Rocks unless they have a New York license. At that point, he must turn the ship over to a New York-licensed Long Island Sound pilot for the trip further west to Execution Rocks, and then, as has always been the practice, to a Sandy Hook pilot for the trip into New York Harbor. Interoceanica has long sailed ships between ports in Connecticut and New York Harbor. Interoceanica refused the pilots' services, and insisted upon using its own Connecticut-licensed pilots for this leg of the journey.