Cma-Cgm-Libra

In a recent judgment, in the context of a claim by the ship's owners for a contribution in General Average (GA) after the grouding of the "CMA CGM Libra" off Xiamen port on May 19, 2011, a Court considered whether a defective passage plan, prepared prior to the commencement of the voyage, rendered the vessel unseaworthy. It was found that that even though the owners had in place good safety management practices, the vessel was unseaworthy on the basis that a prudent owner would not have sent it to sea with a defective plan, and that due diligence had not been exercised. It was held that the defect in the passage plan was causative of the Master's decision to leave the fairway, which in turn caused the grounding.

On Aug 30, 2011, the "CMA CGM Libra" loaded a first shipment of 45 containers of on thw whole 8.500 tons food to Somalia. The food, flour mixed in powder form which is enhanced with vitamins and minerals, was produced by a company from Zulte. The ship has a total of 8.500 tons food destined for the Horn of Africa on board. The delivery of the food is in the hands of the French shipping company CMA CGM and the World Food Programme, the largest humanitarian food aid organization in the world. The ship will take about one month to reach Somalia.

CMA CGM, operator of MV CC Libra, confirms that the vessel was successfully refloated at 5:18am Chinese time yesterday with the assistance of local tugs. The vessel had been grounded on sand outside the port of Xiamen, China since Thursday 18th May. There was no injury, pollution or ingress of water as a result of the incident, and there are no indications that the hull or structure has suffered any damage. CMA CGM has been cooperating fully with local authorities to safely refloat the vessel. Following ongoing inspection, the vessel will continue to her intended port of Hong Kong. CMA CGM would like to thank the Chinese authorities for their swift and professional assistance in this matter. Report with picture http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news19293.html