NEW ORLEANS – Two firms are suing Stellar Line Ocean Transport in a dispute involving damaged industrial cargo.
SC Condensate and Highland Project Logistics Inc. filed a lawsuit Dec. 14 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the marine vessel Stade, her engines, boilers, etc.; Stellar Line Ocean Transport Ltd.; and Eagle Maritime Consultants Inc., alleging cargo damage caused by gross negligence.
According to the complaint, Highland Project hired Stellar Line Ocean Transport on Jan. 28 to convey some $19 million worth of industrial equipment from Houston, Texas to Novorossiysk, Russia. The suit claims the cargo, consisting of parts comprising a modular hydrocarbon processing unit, suffered more than $5 million of damages en route to its Russian destination.
The plaintiffs seek the arrest and sale of the Stade to cover the alleged damages. They are represented by attorneys Philip S. Brooks Jr. and Ronald Kitto of Montgomery Barnett LLP in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Case number 2:15-cv-06773