Landcatch Ltd. v. International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund
Scotland Inner House
2 Lloyd’s Rep. 316 (1999)

- Written by Alex Ruskell, JD
Facts
A vessel ran aground and spilled oil at Garth Ness, Shetland. Landcatch Ltd. (Landcatch) (plaintiff) sued the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (fund) (defendant) for payment of compensation. The fund was part of the Merchant Shipping Act 1974, a British act that regulated international shipping and provided relief for those harmed by oil spills. The act made defendants strictly liable for “damage” caused by oil spills. Landcatch raised fish in the zone of the spill and received compensation from the fund for those damages. However, Landcatch argued that it was also entitled to compensation from the fund for the reduced price in fish it sold due to the change in market conditions caused by the spill. The act stated that a vessel was liable for any damage caused by an oil spill without proof of fault.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cullen, L.)
What to do next…
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.