Visscher v BHP Petroleum Pty Limited & Ors [2002] NSWSC 65

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Visscher v BHP Petroleum Pty Limited & Ors [2002] NSWSC 65 revised - 7/03/2002 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity Division Admirality List FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 10/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 4 - 5 February 2002 JUDGMENT DATE : 21 February 2002

Timothy Troy Visscher (Plt) PARTIES : BHP Petroleum Pty Limited (1st def) BHP Petroleum (Australia) Pty Limited (2nd def) The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (3rd def) JUDGMENT OF : McClellan J

COUNSEL : F Corsaro SC/D Carolan (Plt) D Hammerschlag SC/G Nell (1st & 2nd Def) SOLICITORS : Turnbull Hill Lawyers (Plt) Holding Redlich (1st & 2nd Def) CATCHWORDS : ADMIRALTY - claim for salvage - expiration of limitation period - court's discretion to extend time for commencement of claim - onus lies on plaintiff to demonstrate lack of prejudice - whether services were rendered as an employee or as a volunteer Navigation Act 1912 (Cth) s 396(1) LEGISLATION CITED : Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) s 22(3) Admiralty Act 1988 (Cth) s 37 Smith v Australian National Line Ltd (1998) 159 ALR 431 Burns Philp & Co v Nelson Robertson Pty Limited (1958) 98 CLR 495 Brisbane South Regional Health Authority v Taylor (1996) 186 CLR 541 Seaspeed America (1990) 1 Lloyd's Rep 150 Al Tabith and Alanfushi (1995) 2 Lloyd's Rep 336 Kennedy's Law of Salvage 5th ed paras 302, 431, 438 The Aztecs (1870) 3 Asp MLC 326 CASES CITED : The Mount Cynthos (1937) 58 Lloyd's Rep 18 Akerblom v Price Potter Walker & Co (1881) 7 QBD 129 The Sappho (1871) LC 3 PC 690 The Neptune (1824) 1 Hagg. Adm. 227 Vickerson v Crowe (1914) 1 KB 462 McKernan v Fraser (1931) 46 CLR 343 Liosatos v Australian National Line (1964) 111 CLR 282 DECISION : See paras 46 - 47