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船舶硬體的適航性

在文檔中 論海上保險之船舶適航性 (頁 85-91)

第三章 船舶適航性

第六節 船舶適航性內容

3.6.1 船舶硬體的適航性

船舶硬體適航性所處理的是船舶本身實體的狀態,在船舶即將行駛的航程上,這 艘船舶必需備便以因應各種海上危險。備便程度是否妥當,還必須考量發航時該船舶的 船型、船齡、行駛海域、行駛航線、季節等。一般來說,列入船舶硬體適航性考量的種 類不外乎船舶主機、貨艙、管路、燃料艙、滑車、吊桿等,運送人在發航前及發航時,

在運送人可掌握船舶妥善狀態時,運送人應善盡善良管理人的注意義務,來確保這些船 體、裝備、屬具在此特定航程都能合適的發揮功用。假如發生不適航的情況時,運送人 需證明自己已盡到應有注意,才能夠為自身提供防禦,對於貨物損失或傷害的責任無需 負責。

船舶適航性隨著航程的各種不同情況而有很大的可能範圍。航行的時間、航行的 路線、航行的水(海)域、船舶的型式、航行時可能獲得的知識程度、貨物的種類等等 均會使船舶適航性有不同的備便標準。即使是同一條航線,在不同的季節、載運不同的 貨物、航行不同的水域,也有不同的船舶適航性標準;即使載運相同的貨物,在海水中 航行與在淡水中航行,也有可能在海水水域具船舶適航性,在淡水水域卻不具備船舶適 航性。執行航程的時間也非常重要;同一船舶航行同一航線,在夏天時或許是具備船舶 適航性,但在冬天時卻未必。

舉例來說,在 Daniels v. Harris97此一海上保險的案例中,船舶在二月份時自 St. 配置也不適當,Lord Justice Bankes 認為,像這樣未將原木捆綁並且配置適當人力的航 程,若在冬天執行,這艘船就不適航,因為人們可以預測這艘船將面對多麼惡劣的天候。

前面曾提及,船舶適航性會因所欲航行水域的類型而受影響。船舶可能航行於海 水水域、淡水水域、大洋、近岸、河流等,一艘船在內河航行或許具適航性,但相同狀 態航行於大洋或許就不具適航性了。若船舶的航程跨各種不同水域時,船舶所有人就必 須使該船舶在每一段水域均具適航性,船舶所有人可於最初發航時就將船舶備便於具各 水域適航的狀態,亦可於進入另一水域前才完成該水域適航狀態。在 The Quebec Marine Insurance Company v. The Commercial Bank of Canada99的案例中,一艘已保險的船舶自 Montreal 至 Halifax,途中包括了河流及海洋。這一艘船的鍋爐在淡水水域中已發生瑕

97 Daniels v. Harris, (1874-75) L.R. 10 C.P. 1 at p.1, “The warranty of seaworthiness implied in a contract of marine insurance is a warranty that the ship is seaworthy for the purposes of the particular subject-matter of the insurance. Therefore, in the case of a policy of insurance on deck cargo, it is not a compliance with the warranty of seaworthiness that the ship is fit to encounter ordinary rough weather with safety to herself because the deck cargo is such as may be readily jettisoned in such weather”. Further more at p.9 Brett J stated:” We are of opinion, upon consideration, that the extent and effect of the warranty that the ship is seaworthy, in a policy on cargo, can never be implied to be so great as to be considered to contemplate the destruction, in order to save the ship, in an ordinary voyage, of that very cargo which is the subject-matter of insurance. Such a supposition makes the contract as a business transaction insensible. The extra premium invariably paid in respect of a deck cargo applies to the extra danger to the cargo is case of weather more rough than the ordinary rough weather of the voyage insured.”

98, (1923)15 L1. Rep.155.

99 (1869-71) L.R. 3 P.C. 234. Lord Penzance stated: ”It was argued that the obligation thus cast upon the Assured to procure and provide a proper condition and equipment of the vessel to encounter the perils of each stage of the voyage, necessarily involves the idea that between one stage of the voyage and another he should be allowed an opportunity to find and provide that further equipment which the subsequent stage of the voyage requires; and no doubt that is so. But that equipment must, if the warranty of seaworthiness is to be complied with, be furnished before the vessel enters upon that subsequent stage of the voyage which is supposed to require it.”

疵,只是當時狀況並不明顯,但一旦船舶進入海水水域時,此鍋爐的瑕疵變得非常明顯,

必須要立即進行修理。法院的判決是:這一艘船並不適航,因為她並不適合進行海水水 域的航程。結果,當此船成為海底的廢鐵時,因為船舶所有人違反了船舶適航性的默示 保證,保險人不用向被保險人支付任何保險金。

在 Moore v. Lunn 一案例中,船舶在 Baltimore 將原木裝載於甲板上,準備運往 Hamburg。此航程有一部份是在河流中,一部份是在海洋面上。前面曾提及該船舶未將 原木捆綁,亦未配置適當人員,因此船舶屬於不適航的狀態。主要被用來建構船舶不適 航的事實是,自 Baltimore 發航時並未將原木捆綁固定;當時在此區域載運原木的實務 做法,為了節省發航時間,通常會在尚未進入海洋前的河道航行同時進行捆綁,並且在 進入海洋之前完成捆綁的工作。法院認為實務做法的事實,是一個可以考量的證據,因 此判定該船舶在發航時未捆綁原木的事實並非不適當,只要在進入下一階段航程前完成 此工作,不能以發航時未捆綁原木的事實為船舶不適航的事實。

另一個應該列入適航性的考量因素是船舶的類型。船舶的類型對兩個方面很重 要:一、通過特定水域的能力。二、載運所欲裝載貨物的適合性。有關所欲裝載貨物的 適合性,於討論適載性時再行說明。關於通過特定水域的能力,船舶的類型扮演是否適 航的重要角色;船舶建造用於內水航行者,也許無法航行於海面,除非再經過適當的修 改來使之具有航行於海洋的能力。在 Burges v. Wickham100案例中,Ganges 號是一艘於 英國建造,專門用於內河航行的蒸汽船。為了航行海洋,她進行了一切以當時技術可以 進行的補強工作,此外,被保險人也願意給付額外的保費,保險人經過評估後,發行了 一張有包含海洋航段的保單。不幸地,在海洋航段的航程中,Ganges 號遭遇了超級強 風並沈沒,保險人抗辯,因為 Ganges 號是設計用於內河航行的,她在海面航行不具適 航性。法院拒絕了保險人的說法,法院認為,假如船舶不是設計使用於特定水域,船舶 所有人雖已為一切可能的方法來使船舶能執行預期的航程,適航保證的範圍與程度仍是

100 Burges v. Wickham, 3 B & S 669. ”The warranty of seaworthiness must be taken to be limited to the capacity of the vessel, and therefore, was satisfied if, at the commencement of the risk, the vessel was made as seaworthy as she was capable of being made: though it might not make her as fit for the voyage as would have been usual and proper if the adventure had been that of sending out an ordinary sea-going vessel.”

以這艘船的固有能力為限,若這艘船經過改裝或強化後,其固有能力仍無法因應海洋上 的一般危險,這艘船在海上仍為不適航。然而,假如在船舶所有人為上述努力後,適航 保證的範圍及程度仍以這艘船的現有能力為限,他方當事人願意接受此設計上的風險,

就必須接受船舶使用上的風險,没有違反適航保證的問題。

在 Paterson Zochonis v. Elder Dempster101案例中, 一艘具有深貨艙而無雙層甲板的 船,以傭船契約的方式來載運桶裝棕櫚油及棕櫚仁。在西非港口類似的貿易經常都使用 雙層甲板貨輪來運送,以方便隔離兩種貨物。案例中貨方將桶裝棕櫚油及棕櫚仁一起裝 進深貨艙,結果桶子因棕櫚仁的重壓而受損,而且在航程一開始時傷害即已發生,貨方 抗辯該船舶因為未具有雙層甲板而為不適航。Lord Sumner 陳述,這艘船也許不是一艘 好的貨物貯存船,但是並不因此而認定為不適航。若裝載時承載少一些壓在桶子上棕櫚 馬鈴薯貨物於 Westerdok 裝船,航行中遭遇了在此時節中可以預期的惡劣天候,船舶所 有人必須將貨艙艙口蓋關閉以避免海水進入貨艙;在抵達目的港時,一部份貨物因缺乏 通風而受損。貨方宣稱此船舶因未具備適當通風裝備,載運此種貨物係不適航。Mr.

101 1924] A.C. 522. Lord Sumner at p.562 stated that “There is a sense, but I think one sense only, in which the Grelwen might be said to have been unfit for the carriage of this cargo. One must distinguish between general fitness for what the nature of the trade requires and fitness to receive and carry a particular cargo or part of a cargo, tendered in the course of that trade. A ship, which in a certain trade and in certain not improbable combination of cargo offering in the trade, has to shut out cargo and to sail less than a full ship, because if she takes the cargo offered she will thereby damage other cargo already loaded, is pro tanto an unprofitable ship.

She is not as good a freight earner as she might be. For the cargo, however, that she does carry, without sacrificing it to enable her owners to carry more cargo and so earn more freight, she is perfectly fitted and quite seaworthy. All that can be said is that she might have paid better in another trade, or that another ship differently built might have paid better in the same trade.”

102 [1962] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 180. In The Schwan, [1909] A. C. 450, the German shipyard provided the ship with a three-way cock which was common in German ships and usually used by the builder, but the engineers knew nothing about its particularities and the court held that the vessel was unseaworthy because the ship owner did not make sure that his engineers knew everything about the vessel.

Justice McNair 認為,為了找出此船舶是否適航,指出以下的測試方法:「一位慎審的船 舶所有人,若已知此瑕疵存在,是否仍會將此船舶發航?」(此即為學者 Carter 所提出 的適航性測試方法)船舶所有人宣稱,若一位慎審的船舶所有人知道此時節會遇到惡劣 天候,仍然會決定將船舶發航,並且在遇到此種惡劣天候時將艙口蓋關閉繼續航行,此 船舶仍為適航。反之,若一位慎審的船舶所有人知道此種惡劣天候存在後都不會發航,

反而冒險將船舶發航的話,此船舶才是不適航的狀態。一般慎審的船舶所有人在案例中 的條件下仍會發航,因此本例中船舶仍具適航性。由此例可探知法官如何決定船舶適航 或不適航,以及在此航程中傷害的發生應屬不可預期。

另外在 Bradley v. Federal Steam Navigation103案中,一批蘋果由 Tasmania 裝船運往 London 以及 Liverpool,此批貨物在裝船時是很好的狀況,但抵達時蘋果因褐心症而受 損。貨方宣稱此船舶不適航,因為她並没有類似像「層架式」的通風系統(空氣先於一 艙室內預冷後再以風扇打入貨艙)。此案例中該船舶確實未具備類似「層架式」通風系 統,但該船舶配備有「格子式」通風系統;事實上格子式通風系統的在當時此類貨物貿 易的船舶上仍為主要採用的通風系統,且在使用的功效與「層架式」相同。法院認為根 據現存知識狀態,船舶所有人已提供了適航船舶,貨物損傷非因船舶不適航所造成。

另外在 Bradley v. Federal Steam Navigation103案中,一批蘋果由 Tasmania 裝船運往 London 以及 Liverpool,此批貨物在裝船時是很好的狀況,但抵達時蘋果因褐心症而受 損。貨方宣稱此船舶不適航,因為她並没有類似像「層架式」的通風系統(空氣先於一 艙室內預冷後再以風扇打入貨艙)。此案例中該船舶確實未具備類似「層架式」通風系 統,但該船舶配備有「格子式」通風系統;事實上格子式通風系統的在當時此類貨物貿 易的船舶上仍為主要採用的通風系統,且在使用的功效與「層架式」相同。法院認為根 據現存知識狀態,船舶所有人已提供了適航船舶,貨物損傷非因船舶不適航所造成。

在文檔中 論海上保險之船舶適航性 (頁 85-91)