Opinion ID: 3023556
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Potential Disruptive Effect on

Text: Maritime Commerce The District Court concluded that, regardless whether the incident here was characterized as “the improper loading of cargo on a vessel docked at a port on navigable waters or the arrest of a vessel docked in navigable waters,” it had a “potentially disruptive impact on maritime commerce.” We believe that the incident before us is better characterized as Sinochem’s alleged misrepresentations to the Chinese Admiralty Court that led to the arrest of the Vessel at port. Yet, we agree that, no matter how we define the incident, it had the potential to disrupt maritime commerce—and in fact did so, as the alleged misrepresentations resulted in the Vessel’s seizure. (And we note that making misrepresentations about another party’s conduct with respect to the shipment of goods and a bill of lading is generally likely to disrupt maritime commerce as between those two parties.) Thus, the first component of the connection with maritime activity inquiry is met.