Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, the largest provider of dredging services in the United States and a major provider of commercial and industrial demolition and remediation services, yesterday announced a favorable judgment in its loss of use claim related to the dredge New York allision in Port Newark, New Jersey in January, 2008.
On January 24, 2008, the backhoe dredge the New York was struck by an orange juice tanker, the Orange Sun, in the approach channel to Port Newark, New Jersey, sustaining heavy damage including a large rupture in her port side. After the incident, the Company filed a complaint against the Orange Sun and her owners (the “Orange Sun Interests”) for salvage and pollution damages, physical repairs and associated labor costs, and loss of use. Claims for salvage and pollution damages, physical repairs and most of the associated labor costs were settled in previous years. The remaining claims, including the Company’s claim for loss of use, were tried in a bench trial in the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York from January 23-25, 2012. On March 1, 2012, the judge issued an opinion and order in the Company’s favor on the loss of use claim, entitling Great Lakes to $11.7 million in damages plus interest. Judgment was rendered in the aggregate amount of $13.2 million.
The dredge New York is a hydraulic backhoe dredge built primarily for the New York market, with world class capabilities. The New York is one of the biggest and most powerful vessels of its kind in the world. It is one of the flagships of GLDD fleet, and once the New York was back in service after the allision it worked steadily on several projects in the Ports of New York and New Jersey. As previously announced, after the New York completes the contracts it is currently working on, it will relocate to Australia for two and a half years to work on the Wheatstone LNG Project.
Kathleen M. LaVoy, Chief Legal Officer stated, “ We are very pleased with the outcome and expect the judgment to be affirmed on appeal, leading to an eventual final award. The judgment finally allows Great Lakes to recover some of the lost profits we sustained and validates the significance of the dredge New York to the Great Lakes’ fleet and the robust demand for her unique services.”
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Dredging Today Staff, March 16, 2012;