A shipping company faces a legal bill of £200,000 after losing a Northern Ireland High Court action yesterday over secondary handling rights at Warrenpoint Harbour.
Jenkins Shipping Company Ltd, of Warrenpoint, Co Down, was ordered to pay the costs of a two week action against Warrenpoint Harbour Authority.
Justice Girvan yesterday involved an injunction granted to Jenkins Shipping last August.
The injunction restrained the Harbour authority from interfering with Jenkins Shipping's rights to do the secondary handling of timber cargoes on vessels in accordance with the company's contractual arrangements with third parties.
Mr Justice Girvan said Mr Walter Jenkins, head of the company, claimed that an oral agreement in 1990 gave his company secondary handling rights in relation to certain timber cargoes.
However, he added, Mr William Bryan, then chief executive of the authority, denied any collection of any agreement conferring such rights on Jenkins Shipping.
Saying the disputed agreement was the central issue, Mr Justice Girvan added: "Jenkins chipping has not satisfied me on the balance of probabilities bat such a binding agreement vas entered into."
