CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd.
Issues
Where a charter agreement contains a “safe berth” clause, which provides that the charterer will designate a safe port as the vessel’s destination, is the safe berth clause a warranty for the ship’s safety or a promise that the charterer will exercise due diligence in selecting a safe port?
This case arises out of an incident in 2004 when the Athos I, a ship that CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. (“CARCO”) had chartered, collided with an abandoned anchor near CARCO’s designated port. This case asks the Supreme Court to decide how to interpret the charter agreement’s “safe berth” clause, under which CARCO was obligated to designate a safe destination port for the Athos I. CARCO argues that, under the safe berth clause, it was obligated only to exercise due diligence in selecting a safe port. Frescati Shipping Co. (“Frescati”), the Athos I’s owner, counters that the clause is better interpreted as a warranty of safety that gives rise to strict liability. The outcome of this case will determine the contours of a charterer’s obligations under safe berth clauses and the degree to which industry actors can efficiently bargain to allocate risks before accidents occur.
Questions as Framed for the Court by the Parties
Whether under federal maritime law a safe berth clause in a voyage charter contract is a guarantee of a ship’s safety, as the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 2nd and 3rd Circuits have held, or a duty of due diligence, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has held.
CITGO Asphalt Refining Company (“CARCO”) chartered a single-hulled oil tanker, the M/T Athos I, from an intermediary of Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd. and Tsakos Shipping & Trading, S.A. (“Frescati”) to deliver crude oil from Venezuela to CARCO’s berth in New Jersey. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd. v.
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Additional Resources
- Jeanne Amy: SCOTUS Grants Cert to Resolve Circuit Split on Safe Berth Warranty: Guarantee of a Ship’s Safety or Due Diligence?, The National Law Review (May 29, 2019).
- David Loh: Supreme Court Considers Safe Berth Warranty, JD Supra (June 26, 2019).