Ship Owner Limited Liability

In principle, a shipowner shall be liable only within the limit of liability for the amount calculated as above, if the amount calculated as 15,000 won per ton of the bulk weight of the ship is lower than the limit of liability for the ship, in addition to the amount of damage inflicted on a third party by intention or negligence of the employees of the ship such as the captain, etc.

Article 746 of the Commercial Act, Article 747 of the Commercial Act, Article 751 of the Commercial Act

Plaintiff

Defendant

Busan District Court (79Gahap2974)

(1) The original judgment is modified as follows.

(2) The Defendant shall pay to the Plaintiff the amount of KRW 4,404,00 and the annual interest rate of KRW 5% from November 21, 1979 to the full payment rate.

(3) The plaintiff's remaining claims are dismissed.

(4) All the costs of lawsuit shall be divided into three parts of the first and second trials, and such two parts shall be borne by the plaintiff and the remainder by the defendant respectively.

The defendant shall pay to the plaintiff 13,713,360 won with interest rate of 5 percent per annum from November 21, 1979 to the date of full payment.

The costs of lawsuit shall be borne by the defendant, and a judgment of provisional execution

The original judgment shall be revoked.

The plaintiff's claim is dismissed.

All the costs of lawsuit shall be borne by the plaintiff in the first and second instances.

1. Occurrence of liability for damages;

1979. 11. 20. 22 : 20경 경남 통영군 산양면 풍화리 함박굼부락앞 해상에서 원고소유의 기선 제3천신호(총톤수 44.84톤, 소구발동기 75마력, 목조선, 선장 소외 1)와 피고소유의 제8흥아호(선장 소외 2)가 충돌하여 위 천신호가 현장에서 침몰한 사실은 당사자 사이에 다툼이 없고, 원심증인 소외 3의 증언에 원심의 형사기록검증결과와 해남심판기록검증결과의 각 일부 및 변론의 전취지를 종합하면 위 제8흥아호의 선장인 소외 2는 사고당일 19 : 00경 마산시 중앙부두에서 위 배를 출항하여 목포외항으로 시속 약 10노트의 속력으로 항해중 그날 22 : 17경 사고지점 부근 함박굼부락 북방 0.3마일 해상에서, 전방 약 1마일 해상에 위 제3천신호가 항해중인 것을 발견하였으나 때마침 위 흥아호 선수 우현에서 좌현으로 작업등을 환하게 밝히고 횡단하는 약 2톤급 소형선만을 주시하느라고 위 천신호의 동태를 살피지 못하여 그 배가 접근하여 온 것을 발견하지 못하고 위 소형선을 피한 후 만연히 선수를 좌현으로 변침하다가 뒤늦게 위 천신호가 30미터 전방까지 접근한 것을 발견하고 그때서야 충돌의 위험을 느껴 기관을 정지하였으나, 이미 늦어 위 흥아호 선수가 위 천신호 좌현 중앙부를 들이받아 이를 침몰케 한 사실을 인정할 수 있고, 이에 어긋나는 위 각 기록검증결과의 각 일부는 믿지 아니하고 달리 반증없으며, 한편 위 증거에 의하면 위 제3천신호의 선장인 소외 1로서도 사고당시 위 소형선의 작업등의 불빛으로 위 흥아호의 홍등을 발견하기 어려운 점이 있었다 하더라도 세심한 주위를 하였더라면 위 흥아호가 접근하여 오는 것을 미리 발견할 수 있었을 터인데 이를 소홀히 하여 이건 충돌사고가 야기되었음을 인정할 수 있고 반증없다.

Thus, the sinking accident is caused by both negligence of the non-party 2, the captain of the above Heak-ho, and the non-party 1, the captain of the above Y-ho, and the degree of the negligence shall be deemed to be the ratio of 7 to 3. Therefore, the defendant is an employer of the non-party 2, who is obligated to compensate the plaintiff for the damages caused by the sinking accident.

2. Scope of damages.

(a) Damages;

According to the statement of No. 4 (Permit for Ship Radio Station) and the testimony of Non-Party 3 of the lower court, if part of the results of the examination of the above criminal records were collected, it can be recognized that the amount of KRW 8,00,000 at the market price of the above astronomical Signals Ship that was sunken at the time of the accident, KRW 850,00 at the time of the accident, KRW 850,00 at the time of the development of the vessel, KRW 1,632 at the market price of the destroyed 1,632 at the above vessel, KRW 2,741,760, KRW 1,632 at the time of the destruction loaded on the vessel, KRW 2,121,60 at the market price of the above vessel, KRW 13,713,360 at the time of the accident, and there is no counter-proof.

(b) Limit of liability for damages;

Therefore, according to the above recognition's fault ratio, the defendant is obligated to compensate the plaintiff 9,59,352 won equivalent to 70 percent of the total amount of damages. However, according to the Articles 746 and 747 of the Commercial Act, the shipowner shall, in principle, be liable for damages incurred to a third party due to the ship's intentional or negligent negligence by the ship's employees, such as the captain, etc., to the extent of the amount of dissolution, but if the amount calculated as 15,000 won per the ship's net tonnage is lower than the limit of the ship's liability, the shipowner shall be held liable only within the limit of the amount of liability calculated as above. According to the evidence No. 1, No. 1, the gross tonnage of Heak-h can be recognized to be 293 tons60, and this cannot be less than the gross tonnage of the above ship calculated pursuant to the provisions of Article 751 of the Commercial Act. Thus, the defendant shall be held liable for damages pursuant to the above Article 746 and No. 309, 405,29,29,205.9 of the above amount of damages.

3. Conclusion

Thus, the defendant is obligated to pay to the plaintiff the amount of 4,404,000 won and the amount at the rate of 5% per annum from November 21, 1979 to the date following the accident. Thus, the plaintiff's claim for this case is justified within the scope of the above recognition and it is dismissed as the remainder is without merit.

Therefore, since the original judgment is recognized to have been partially unfair by different conclusions, it is modified, and it is so decided as per Disposition by applying Articles 96, 89, and 92 of the Civil Procedure Act to the burden of litigation costs.

Judges fixed ticket (Presiding Judge) Mobile Engines