
BEIJING, July 7 -- The Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Thursday ruled that Greek investment company Archangelos should pay6.6 million yuan (1 million U.S. dollars) plus interest to a rescue bureau for having saved a stranded ship owned by the company in2011.
An oil tanker ran aground near the Qiongzhou Strait in south China on Aug. 12, 2011 with 26 crew and 54,580 tonnes of crude oil on board. The stranded ship posed a severe threat to life, property and the environment.
Acting on the instructions of Archangelos, the Ministry of Transport's Nanhai Rescue Bureau launched rescue mission, but the tanker was towed out of danger by a third party.
Following the incident, the company refused to pay the bureau on the grounds that the two sides never reached any specific agreement on how to calculate the fee and that the amount claimed by the bureau was too high.
Guangzhou maritime court ruled in favor of the bureau and Guangdong Higher People's Court supported Archangelos on appeal. The bureau appealed to the SPC in 2015.
The court held that, as the International Convention on Salvage and China's Maritime Law allow parties involved to determine the rescue fees but offer no details on contracts, China's Contract Law should determine the rights and obligations of involved parties.
The two sides had a specific agreement that, regardless of the outcome of the rescue attempt, Archangelos should pay an amount based on the bureau's input of time, materials and manpower, the SPC statement said.
The court ruled that the company should pay 6.6 million yuan plus interest, less than the 7 million plus demanded in the first instance by the bureau.
The case is important in determining whether international conventions or domestic laws should be applied in similar rescue scenarios.
Girl goes viral for finger-long toes
Five made-in-China hi-tech breakthroughs
HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to open to traffic
China opens its first combined transport service to Nepal
Students take stylish bikini graduations photos
Charming dancing students pose for graduation photos
Guizhou, Yunnan section of Shanghai-Kunming railway connected
Naked models transformed into landscapes, birds and even DRAGONS by body painting artist
World’s biggest cruise ship Harmony of the Seas to start maiden voyage
Top 20 hottest women in the world in 2014
Top 10 hardest languages to learn
10 Chinese female stars with most beautiful faces
China’s Top 10 Unique Bridges, Highways and Roads
Can Duterte decide Manila’s China policy?
Heroic rescue operations in flooded areas
A draft amendment triggers off worries about surge of Islamic extremism
Travel packages from China to South America swell tenfold as the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games draws nearDay|Week