Old sea law being used
PA Wellington An ancient admiralty law is being revived to claim $ll million from the dismissed maritime ratings who remain on the reflagged Shipping Corporation ship Weka.
The 11 New Zealand ratings have been on the ship since being dismissed on February 12. Mrs Coral Shaw, representing the Seamen’s Union, Cooks and Stew-
ards’ Union and the Merchant Service Guild, said the action was filed in the High Court at Auckland. The Shipping Corporation subsidiary Eckington, Ltd, is plaintiff.
First defendant is the ship, the Weka, and the second defendants are the 11 ratings on board. The company is claiming $ll million in damages for conversion of the ship, trespass and barratry (dictionary definition:
fraudulent practices on the part of the master or mariners of a ship to the prejudice of the owners). Mrs Shaw said use of the term “barratry” was rare. She had yet to discover what this meant in legal terms. All claims are being made under the admiralty section of the court, which nowadays is used mainly for recovering debts from shipowners.
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Press, 23 February 1989, Page 18
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181Old sea law being used Press, 23 February 1989, Page 18
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