Opinion ID: 7099
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: is dodekaton a cogsa carrier?

Text: Under COGSA, a cargo owner may recover only from the carrier of the goods. Pacific Employers Ins. Co. v. M/V GLORIA, 767 F.2d 229, 234 (5th Cir.1985); Associated Metals & Minerals Corp. v. SS PORTORIA, 484 F.2d 460, 462 (5th Cir.1973). A carrier is the owner or the charterer who enters into a contract of carriage with a shipper. 46 U.S.C.App. § 1301(a). A contract of carriage is a contract of carriage covered by a bill of lading or other similar document of title. 46 U.S.C.App. § 1301(b). We have expressly held that to recover under COGSA, the cargo owner must establish that the vessel owner or charterer executed a contract of carriage 2 with the cargo owner. See Pacific Employers, 767 F.2d at 236-37. A contract of carriage with the vessel owner may be either directly between the parties, or by virtue of the charterer's authority to bind the vessel owner by signing the bill of lading for the master. Pacific Employers, 767 F.2d at 236. See also In re Intercontinental Properties Management, S.A., 604 F.2d 254, 258 n. 3 (4th Cir.1979). However, if the charterer signs the bill of lading without the authority of the vessel owner, then the owner does not become a party to the contract of carriage and does not become liable as a carrier within the meaning of COGSA. Pacific Employers, 767 F.2d at 237; J. Gerber & Co., Inc. v. M/V INAGUA TANIA, 828 F.Supp. 458, 460 (S.D.Tex.1992). The cargo owner has the burden to prove that the vessel owner was a party to the contract, and its failure to do so establishes that the cargo owner did not rely on the vessel owner to perform the contract. Associated Metals, 484 F.2d at 462.
The district court held that Dodekaton was not liable for the cargo damage as a COGSA carrier. Relying in particular on Clause 8 of the charter party,2 the court found that Dodekaton did not become a party to the contract of carriage because the master was the agent of Eurolines, with no authority to issue bills of lading on behalf of Dodekaton. The court did not address the argument that the Charterer (Eurolines) had authority to sign bills of 2 The full text of the relevant provisions of the instant charter party and the Pacific Employers and Yeramex charter