This recent case concerned an oil rig supply vessel that was
badly damaged while berthed in Peterhead Harbour.
The charterers of the vessel (ASCO) instructed Enviroco to clean
out some holding tanks. While they were finishing the
cleaning, ASCO spoke to the master of the vessel about moving it to
another location in the harbour and the engines were switched on in
preparation for the move. At the same time, employees of
Enviroco had disconnected their hosepipes, allowing oil to flow
through the pipes used in the cleaning process and into the now hot
engine room. A fire broke out - tragically resulting in a
fatality and badly damaging the vessel.
The vessel owner (Farstad) subsequently brought an action
against Enviroco in respect of the damage caused to their vessel on
the basis that their employees had acted negligently in carrying
out their cleaning duties. Enviroco sought to bring ASCO into
the action on the basis that they were partly responsible for
