Opinion ID: 1769603
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Shaw and Sheffield

Text: The third-party claims of the shipowners against Crane for indemnity due to the alleged exposure of plaintiffs Shaw and Sheffield to Crane's asbestos products rest upon the theory that a number of ships on which Shaw and Sheffield served contained boilers manufactured by Foster-Wheeler. [11] These boilers, the shipping companies contend, incorporated a number of asbestos-containing component parts manufactured by Crane. In support of this theory, they filed Exhibit No. 32, which they designated  Typical Foster-Wheeler Design Notebook. (Emphasis added.) The exhibit consisted of a booklet prepared by Foster-Wheeler entitled Instruction Book Steam Generators 46,000 DWT Tankers Built by Bethlehem Steel Company Shipbuilding Division, Quincy, Massachusetts ... for Victory Carriers, Inc. Crane contends, inter alia, that none of the ships on which the plaintiffs served was owned or operated by Victory Carriers; therefore, it argues, the booklet is irrelevant. The defendants insist that the specifications and parts lists contained in the booklet are typical of those used by Foster-Wheeler in boilers that were incorporated into vessels built during the 1960's, including those on which the plaintiffs served. Assuming, arguendo, that such an inference is proper, the evidence fails to establish a causal connection to the injuries of Shaw and Sheffield. The list of Crane products described in the booklet consists of a total of 18 rings substantially described as braided asbestos, with monel wire insert around resilient dry asbestos core impregnated with graphite with inhibitor in core lubricated throughout and completely surfaced with antifrictional dry graphite lubricant. Of the 18 rings, 5 rings measure ¼ in thickness by 1¼ in diameter, 9 rings measure 5/8 in thickness by 2 5/16 in diameter, and 4 rings measure 5/8 in thickness by 1 3/8 in diameter. The booklet's schematic diagram depicts the 13 largest rings encased inside a stuffing box. Even assuming that the Foster-Wheeler boilers on board the vessels on which the plaintiffs served did contain these components, the evidence fails to show how the plaintiffs could have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers released by the rings. There was no evidence that any of the Foster-Wheeler boilers were ever disassembled or assembled during the periods in which the plaintiffs served aboard the vessels. There was no evidence that either of the plaintiffs had ever seen or handled the rings or knew of their existence. In the absence of any evidence of exposure to these relatively inauspicious component parts, it cannot be inferred that the rings were a factor in producing the plaintiffs' alleged injuries. Consequently, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed as to the claims of the defendants against Crane based on the alleged exposure of Shaw and Sheffield to its products.