Court Considers Application For Third-Party Intervention In Admiralty Action

Facts Applicable rules Decision Comment

A recent judgment¹ arising from one of a series of claims being dealt with by the Admiralty Court against the ship AVANTIS II gives further insight into the principles that the court will apply when considering applications for intervention by a third party in admiralty actions.

Facts

The applicant, Delaford Trading Limited, was engaged in a separate action (20/12) in the Admiralty Court against the same ship for the provision of bunkers and lubricants. On September 6 2012 it filed an application seeking leave of the court to be added as a defendant (or alternatively to be allowed to intervene) in an action (8/2012) that had been instituted against the ship by the Cooperative Bank of Evoias, in order to dispute the bank's claim against the ship, deriving from loans that the bank claimed to have provided to the ship.