In Brief
Two vessel owners, Sunil B. Naik and Yusuf Abdul Gani, sought to recover outstanding charter hire dues from Reflect Geophysical Pte. Ltd. by arresting the 'Geowave Commander', a specialized survey vessel that Reflect Geophysical had chartered from Master and Commander AS Norway under a bareboat charter. The appellants had separately provided support vessels under charter-hire agreements with Reflect Geophysical. The Supreme Court held that although Reflect Geophysical had de facto control of the Geowave Commander, it was not the de jure or beneficial owner. Consequently, the maritime claims arising from the appellants' agreements with Reflect Geophysical could not be enforced against the respondent vessel. A maritime claim requires identity between the person liable in personam and the vessel owner. The appellants had no contract with the vessel's registered owners and thus no basis to arrest it.
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