Eduard Bilyayev through Attorney and 4 others V. M.V. "Figaro" (Ex-Free Goddess) through Messrs Commercial Metal,
PLD 2022 Balochistan 21 · Balochistan High Court
This case involved foreign sailors who worked on the vessel M.V. "Figaro" but said they were never paid their full wages. They sued in the Balochistan High Court's admiralty jurisdiction, seeking to recover outstanding salaries, arguing the company operating the ship was its beneficial owner and should pay what was owed. However, by the time the case reached court, the ship had already been sold to a new buyer, Messrs Commercial Metal, through a bill of sale showing the vessel was purchased free of all encumbrances via a leasing company. The new owner asked the trial court to throw out the lawsuit, and the single judge agreed, rejecting the plaint.
On appeal, the High Court explained the legal concept of "action in rem," which allows a claim to be brought directly against a ship (rather than its owners) when a maritime lien exists, such as unpaid wages. Normally this right travels with the ship until the vessel is destroyed. But the law also requires certain conditions to be met before such a claim can be enforced against a ship that has changed hands. Since the sale document was never specifically challenged when the suit was filed, and because the ship had since been demolished, the court found those conditions were not satisfied.
The High Court dismissed the appeals, upholding rejection of the sailors' claims. The case highlights how maritime wage claims can be extinguished once a ship is validly sold and later destroyed, limiting workers' ability to recover unpaid dues through admiralty action.
یہ مقدمہ ان غیر ملکی ملاحوں سے متعلق تھا جو جہاز ایم وی "فیگارو" پر کام کرتے تھے اور ان کا کہنا تھا کہ انہیں کبھی ان کی پوری اجرت ادا نہیں کی گئی۔ انہوں نے بلوچستان ہائی کورٹ کے ایڈمرلٹی (بحری) دائرہ اختیار میں مقدمہ دائر کیا تاکہ واجب الادا تنخواہیں وصول کی جا سکیں، اور یہ موقف اختیار کیا کہ جہاز چلانے والی کمپنی اس کی حقیقی مالک تھی اور اسے بقایا جات ادا کرنے چاہئیں۔ تاہم جب تک یہ مقدمہ عدالت تک پہنچا، جہاز پہلے ہی ایک نئے خریدار، میسرز کمرشل میٹل، کو فروخت ہو چکا تھا، جس کی دستاویز فروخت ظاہر کرتی تھی کہ یہ جہاز ایک لیزنگ کمپنی کے ذریعے تمام بوجھ (encumbrances) سے پاک خریدا گیا تھا۔ نئے مالک نے ٹرائل کورٹ سے استدعا کی کہ مقدمہ خارج کیا جائے، اور سنگل جج نے اس سے اتفاق کرتے ہوئے دعویٰ (plaint) مسترد کر دیا۔
اپیل پر ہائی کورٹ ن