ANL Singapore PTE LTD v. Prime Shipping International, Inc.

I. Background

23 ANL Singapore PTE Ltd (“Plaintiff” or “ANL”), an ocean freight 24 carrier, brings this action against Prime Shipping International, 25 Inc. (“Defendant” or “Prime”), a U.S. non-vessel-operating common 26 carrier.1 27 28 ANL and Eumex, a Chinese entity, entered into an agreement, in the form of a bill of lading, for the transport of two shipping containers containing $20,000 of plastic food containers from Ningbo, China to Los Angeles, California. (Decl. Bryan Bissonette, ¶ 8; Ex. A.; Decl. Wuquan Shao, ¶ 3.) The bill of lading identifies Eumex as the shipper, Prime as the consignee and notifying party, and ANL as the carrier. (Id. at ¶ 6, Ex. A, Ex. B.) Marine Chaser was the ultimate consignee and cargo owner. (Wuquan Shao Decl. ¶ 5.) ANL delivered the containers to the Port of Los Angeles at the West Basin Container Terminal (“the terminal”) on August 23, 2015. The containers were subject to U.S. Customs (“Customs”) examination. (Decl. Bissonette, ¶ 10.) Plaintiff alleges, and Defendant does not appear to dispute, that once the containers cleared Customs, Defendant was to remove the containers…