Australian Tallow & Agri-Commodities Pty Ltd v Malaysia International Shipping Corporation [2001] NSWCA 16

Reported Decision : (2001) 50 NSWLR 576

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Australian Tallow & Agri-Commodities Pty Ltd v Malaysia International Shipping Corporation [2001] NSWCA 16 revised - 9/03/2001 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40705/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 13 December 2000 JUDGMENT DATE : 2 March 2001

PARTIES : Australian Tallow & Agri-Commodities Pty Ltd - Appellant Malaysia International Shipping Corporation - Respondent JUDGMENT OF : Meagher JA at 1; Sheller JA at 2; Powell JA at 31

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Supreme Court Equity Division - Admiralty LOWER COURT 7/2000 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Brownie AJ JUDICIAL OFFICER :

COUNSEL : A S Bell - Appellant J E Sexton SC - Respondent SOLICITORS : James Neill - Appellant Middletons Moore & Bevins - Respondent CATCHWORDS : Shipping and Navigation - Sea Carriage of Goods - Bills of Lading - interpretation of lien on cargo clause - privity of contract - whether contract to be read so as to impose obligations on an agent of a party to the contract - clauses to be read so as to be commercially acceptable - whether carrier can exercise lien over a shipper's goods to secure amounts payable to the carrier by another party for whom the shipper acts as an agent. LEGISLATION CITED : Bills of Lading Act 1855 Montgomerie v United Kingdom Mutual Steamship Association Limited [1891] 1 QB 370 Australian Trade Commission v Goodman Fielder Industries Ltd (1992) 36 FCR 517 Teheran-Europe Co Limited v ST Belton (Tractors) Limited [1968] 2 QB 545 CASES CITED: Scott v Geoghegan & Sons Pty Ltd (1969) 43 ALJR 243 Coulls v Bagot's Executor and Trustee Co Ltd (1967) 119 CLR 460 Miramar Maritime Corporation v Holborn Oil Trading Limited [1984] AC 676 Scotson v Pegg (1861) 6 H & N 295; 158 ER 121 Turner v Azan [1904] AC 826 DECISION : 1. Appeal allowed in respect of the goods the subject of the ATAC bill of lading to the extent those goods have been detained for payment of freight payable under the Concordia bills of lading; 2. Otherwise the appeal should be dismissed; 3. Brownie AJ correctly dismissed the summons so far as it was concerned with goods the subject of the ATC bills of lading; 4. Parties to bring in short minutes of order to give effect to these reasons together with any submissions they wish to make about costs at first instance and on the appeal.