Opinion ID: 567908
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Fault of Offshore Express

Text: 12 Offshore Express first contends that the district court committed clear error in finding that Captain Corey negligently conned the M/V GREEN CANYON EXPRESS. Offshore Express' argument is untenable. There was abundant evidence that Captain Corey had acted imprudently in navigating the canal, as the trial court's Finding of Fact # 19 recites: 13 Captain Corey's conning of the vessel in such a manner as to cause the vessel to veer away from the deep water channel was negligent, in view of the fact that he was proceeding underway with markedly restricted visibility, made no use of the vessel's fathometer and/or spotlight, and proceeded at a speed greater than was prudent under the circumstances. 14 735 F.Supp. at 197. Given that Captain Corey knew of the existence and location of the pipeline, 4 there can be no question that Captain Corey's decision to proceed up the canal in the fog without using his spotlight or fathometer, and without posting a lookout in the bow, constituted negligence. 15 In addition, the district court found that Captain Corey was proceeding at a speed greater than was prudent under the circumstances. It is well settled that the use of radar does not relieve a pilot of the obligation to proceed at a safe speed. Standard Oil Co. of California v. S.S. Rotti, 286 F.Supp. 677, 679 (N.D.Cal.1967), aff'd, 398 F.2d 835 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 980, 89 S.Ct. 448, 21 L.Ed.2d 441 (1968). Moreover, it is negligent for a vessel to be underway at all if her minimum speed is greater than that which would permit a complete stop within the limits of visibility. Williamson Leasing Co., Inc. v. American Commercial Lines, Inc., 616 F.Supp. 1330, 1340 (E.D.La.1985). Thus, even though the testimony showed that the speed of the M/V GREEN CANYON EXPRESS was dead slow, the district court could properly have found that this speed was imprudent. That is, there are occasions on which the conditions are difficult or unfavorable enough that the only prudent course is to heave to and wait for safe navigation to again become possible. See Williamson, 616 F.Supp. at 1340 n. 16. See also Barrois Bros., Inc. v. Lake Tankers Corp., 188 F.Supp. 300, 303 (E.D.La.1960), aff'd, 286 F.2d 573 (5th Cir.1961) (The [vessel's] speed was ... immoderate.... If she could not proceed at a slower speed in the fog because of the current, then she should not have been underway in the first place.). Given that the district court found that visibility was markedly restricted on the night of the accident, this Court cannot say that it is clearly erroneous to hold that Captain Corey should have heaved to and waited for conditions to improve. 16 Despite the district court's findings, Offshore Express argues that as a matter of maritime law the facts found by the district court do not permit a conclusion that Offshore Express was at fault for the allision. In particular, Offshore Express argues that on a navigable waterway the right to navigation is paramount, and that Captain Corey had a right to use the full width of the canal, including areas outside the dredged channel. Offshore Express contends that by allowing its pipeline to become an obstruction to navigation, United Gas bears sole responsibility for the accident. Once again, Offshore Express is only partly correct. It is certainly true that the right to navigate is paramount, and that those who place objects in, under, or over a waterway must do so in a way that does not interfere with navigation, including navigation outside a dredged channel. E.g., Santa Rosa Island Authority v. F. Rust Smith & Sons, Inc., 303 F.2d 576, 580 (5th Cir.1962) (It is incumbent upon the owner of the bridge that it be so constructed as to readily admit the passage of craft....). Offshore Express is incorrect, however, to assert that this right of navigation is wholly unfettered: when a mariner knows of obstructions to navigation, he must avoid them. E.g., Mid-America Transp. Co. v. Nat'l Marine Serv., Inc., 497 F.2d 776, 779 (8th Cir.1974) (if the object in the channel be known, and nevertheless struck, [the vessel's] negligence may be presumed); AT & T Co. v. Steuart Transp. Co., 1978 A.M.C. 1680, 1690 (D.Md.1977) (where the general location of the [submerged] cables and the navigation channel was known, it was simple negligence to allow the tug and barge to approach so near the shallows). A pilot simply does not have the right to roam at will from bank to bank, running down whatever known hazards may lie in his path. 17 Moreover, when a moving vessel strikes a stationary object outside the channel, she is presumed to be at fault. Delta Transload, Inc. v. M/V NAVIOS COMMANDER, 818 F.2d 445, 449 (5th Cir.1987). As Judge John Minor Wisdom has explained, [t]he presumption of negligence is usually well justified: 18 Such accidents simply do not occur in the ordinary course of things unless the vessel has been mismanaged in some way. It is not sufficient ... to produce witnesses who testify that as soon as the danger became apparent everything possible was done to avoid an accident. The question remains, How then did the collision occur? The answer must be either that, in spite of the testimony of the witnesses, what was done was too little or too late, or if not, then the vessel was at fault for being in a position in which an unavoidable collision would occur. 19 Delta Transload, Inc., 818 F.2d at 449-450 (quoting Patterson Oil Terminals, Inc. v. The Port Covington, 109 F.Supp. 953, 954 (E.D.Pa.1952)). While this presumption generally does not apply to allisions with sunken or hidden objects, knowledge of an otherwise nonvisible object warrants imposition of presumed negligence against those operating the vessel who possessed this knowledge. Id. at 450. Thus, it is appropriate to erect this presumption of fault against Offshore Express, and in light of the facts found by the district court--that Captain Corey was proceeding at an imprudent rate of speed, failed to use his fathometer and spotlight, and negligently caused his vessel to veer away from the ship channel--Offshore Express has not and cannot overcome it. In sum, Offshore Express simply has no room to argue that the district court erred, either on the facts or the law, when it found that Captain Corey negligently conned his vessel. 5