NEW ORLEANS – Cargill Inc. says a 45-metric ton shipment of vegetable oils it was importing from Southeast Asia via the Harbour Star were damaged in transport, allegedly due to the crew’s negligence.
Cargill Inc. Dressings, Sauces and Oils, and HDI-Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the Harbour Star, its engines tackle, etc., and CVI ABU DHABI Star Inc., “ABC” Protection and Indemnity Association, Cargill Ocean Transportation (Singapore) PTE LTD, Cargill International Trading PTE LTD, “DEF” Protection and Indemnity Association and Carval Investors LLC, alleging breach of contract.
According to the complaint, Cargill booked the Harbour Star to transport a shipment of palm oil, palm stearin and coconut oil from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to New Orleans and Savannah, Georgia in the October and November 2014 time frame. Upon delivery to their destinations, the suit says it was discovered the palm oil and palm stearin had become cross-contaminated in the vessel’s tanks and were undeliverable. In addition, all three of the batches were short-delivered, Cargill says.
Cargill has a lien on the Harbour Star and seeks its sale to cover damages in excess of $2.4 million, to be proven at trial. They are represented by attorney John F. Fay Jr. of Fay, Nelson & Fay LLC in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Case number 2:15-CV-07147