Tag: high court (admiralty jurisdiction) act

In rem jurisdiction and ‘damage done by a ship’.

In The “Vinalines Pioneer the High Court of Singapore [2015] SGHC 278 has held that a claim for loss of containers on board a vessel did not constitute ‘damage done by a ship’ within the meaning of s.3(1)(d) of Singapore’s the High Court (Admiralty Jurisdiction) Act which is identical to s. 20(2)(e) of the UK Senior Courts Act 1981. Belinda Ang Saw Ean J adopted the externality test applied by Clarke J in The Rama [1996] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 281, to the maritime lien for damage by a ship. To fall within this heading the damage had to be sustained by a person or property external to the ship. Here the total loss of the containers was the result of damage done to the carrying vessel.