Opinion ID: 517632
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Adjust the Fit

Text: 74 Defendants argued at trial that the relative movement between the tug and the barge which began on September 12 was due to Occidental's failure to tighten the fit following the first voyage. Again, the district court relied on Hulla's testimony in rejecting this argument. Hulla explained that if the vessel had been properly mated at the outset, the greenheart would wear down and, with periodic tightening, would achieve nearly 100% contact. If, however, the vessel was not properly mated, the greenheart would wear down too rapidly, causing a relatively sudden loss of friction. Referring to the testimony of the crew, and to Bibbo's measurements, the district court found that the events leading up to the sinking of the Oxy Producer were most consistent with the second theory. Bibbo's measurements disclosed that there was contact at only a few high spots in the greenheart, the situation that Hulla testified was likely to result in a sudden loss of friction. The theory was supported further by the crew's observations, prior to the 12th, that there had been significant bulges in the neoprene pads indicating that the pads were under compression and that the fit was satisfactory. Furthermore, the relative movement between the tug and the barge did not increase gradually, but increased suddenly when the vessel encountered heavy weather on September 12. The district court found that the sea conditions either knocked the vessel off of its high spots, or caused it finally to wear off of its high spots. 75 The defendant's objections to the district court's findings establish at most that there are several plausible explanations of the events. The district court's choice of one of several permissible views of the evidence cannot constitute clear error. Anderson, 470 U.S. at 574, 105 S.Ct. at 1511. 76