COUR INTERNATIONALE DE JUSTICE
IiECUEIL DES ARRErS,
AVIS CONSULTATIFS ET ORDONNANCES
AFFAIRE DU DÉTROIT
DE CORFOU
(FIXATION DU RIONTANT DES RÉPARATIONS
DUES PAR LL4 RÉPCBLIQUE POPCLAIRE D'ALBANIE
AU ROYAUME-US1 DE GRANDE-BRETAGNE
ET 1)'IKLASD111NORI))
ARRÊT DU 1s DÉCEMBRE1949
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
REPORTS OF JUDGMENTS,
ADVISORY OPINIONS AND ORDERS
THE CORFU
CHANNEL CASE
(ASSESSMENT OF THE .-\hiOCNT OF CORIPEKSATION
C)CIiFROJi THE PEOPLE'S REPVBLIC OF ALBANIA
'KTHE 11NITEII KINGDOM OF GKEAT BIIITXIN
.\NU NORTHERN IRELANI))
JUDGMENT OF DECEMBER15th, 1949
1,EYDI: LEYDEN
SO(:II?TI? D'ÉDITIONSA.W. SIJTFIOE'F'S
AIV.SIJTHOE'F PUBLISHICOMPANY 1-c.\x&seiit ari-;t cloit Ctre cite co:nie suit
.-ffaird2tDéfroiide ('ovjou, ilvrrIjddkc-enzb1940
C'1. 1. h'rczt1949, p.244.))
This .liidgi-i~cnt s\>rcitt'd as foll:ws
"Corjli ('hnltnel cJicdgmenfof Derember~jth,1949:
I.C',/.h'eporfs 1940fi244."
NO de vente:
1,,. ..,.. 28 1 YEAR 1949
December 15th, 1949
THE CORFU
CHANNEL CASE
(ASSESSMENT OF THE AMOVIVT 01; ('0JIPESS.ITIOK
DUE FKORI THE PEOPLE'S REPCBLIC OF -4LBANIA
TO THE VNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT HRITAIS
AND NORTHERN IRELASI))
.-lascs.srI/trirrorriitof c~orir~cfr~.ori c~rrciff c1~t.ri1~1oli.-
ing thtz iiztcv~zntioiinlvc~spoof(i.Strrt~,.-Ol>j<*r tht. Co~trt's
jurisdiclio?? ; rcs j~i<ti~~t;i.-P~~il1d~~f~t14lt.-:~i)pIi~(~tioir(iii(1
interprc'tation .Irticljg of tlicaStntirlr.--7'c.~~/ititi$11~
qzcestions involztcd.-lI~'nrs/iip.~.-- Eizqpt~i~'.~.---- .li~~~~.~ir~(2
coiripe~~satioir.-Dorrr~~~~~zt(~LiIC(y,~~CI
Present : lcti+lcPvesident GUERRER OJzrtlges ALY.\IIEZ, HACK-
WORTH, ~~INIARSKI, ZORICICD , E TT1~~~ll>:~Sir Arnold
MCNAIR,KLAESTADB ,ADAWIPASHA,KRYLOVR , EAD,
HSUMO,AZEVEDO ; M.EEER,Judge ad hoc; M. HA&IBRO,
Regisfrar.
4 JUDG3,IENT OF 1 j XII 49 (CORFU-CO~~PENSATIOS) 245
In the Corfu Channel case (assessment of the anlount of coinpen-
sation),
bet-een
the Goveriiment of the United Kingdom of Great Britaiii and
Northern Ireland, represented by :
Sir Eric Beckett, K.C.M.G., K.C., Legal adviser to the Foreign
Office,as Agent and Counsel, assisted by Sir Frank Soskice, K.C.,
M.P., Solicitor-General, as Counçel;
the Goveinment of the People's Republic of Xlbania, not repre-
sented,
composed as above,
delivers the following judgment :
By a Judgment delivered on April gth, 1949, iii the Corfu
Chanilel case (merits), the Court declared the People's Kepublic of
Albania responsible under interiiational law for the explosions
which occurred on October aznd, 1946, in Albanian waters, and
for the damage and loss of human life that resulted therefrom
to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
(I.C.J. Reports 1949, p. 4).
In that judgment the Court decided that it had jurisdictioii
to assess the amount of compensation but statcd that it
could not do so in the same judgment, as the Albanian Govern-
ment had iiot yet statecl which items, if any, of the various sums
claimed it contested, and as the Vnited Kingdom Govcrnment
had not submitted its widence with regard thereto. The Court
therefore stated that further proceedings on this subject were
necessary and that the order and time-limits of these proceedings
~vouldbe fised by an orrler of the same date.
In this order, the Court, after iioting that thc Goveriinicnt
of the rilitcd Kingdom had stated, in its Memorial of October ~st,
1947, the various amounts clainied by way of compensation, and
after reserving the right of the Parties to avail themselves of the
provisions of Article 68 of the Rules of Court, fised, in accordance
with Article 48of the Statute, the followingtime-limits : June zgth,
1949,for the observations of the Albaniail Goverilment ; July zgth,
51949, for the reply of the Vnited Kingdom Government, and
August 25th, 1949, for the reply of the Albanian Government.
Finally, the Court directed that further procedure, including
the appointment of experts in case of agreement being reached
by the Parties both as to the subject of the experts' opinion and
as to the names of the experts, should be regulated by order of
the President of the Court in this case.
On June 24th, 1949, the President of the Court made an
order in which it was stated that by telegram, dated at Tirana,
June zyd, 1949,the Deputy-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania
had asked for the extension of the time-limit for the presentation
of the Albanian observations to July ~st, 1949, and that therc
was no reason for refusing that request. The President accordingly
decided to extend the time-limits fixed by the Order of the Court
of April 9th as follows : July ~st, 1949, for the observations of
ment of the UnitednmeKingdomAug;September 1st for the reply of the-
Albanian Government .
In a letter dated June zgth, 1949,the Agent for the Albanian
Government informed the Court that, in the opinion of his Govern-
ment : "in accordance with the Special Agreement signeà between
the Agents of the People's Republic of Albania and of Great
Britain, on March 25th, 1948, and presented to the Court on the
same day, the Court had solely to consider the question whether
Albania was, or was not, obliged to pay compensation for the
damage caused to the British warships in the incident of Octo-
ber zznd, 1946, and the Special Agreement did not provide that
the Court should have the right to fix the amount of the compen-
sation and, consequently, to ask Albania for information on that
subject".
The United Kingdom Government filed its observatioiis
within the time fixed and invoked Article 53 of the Statute. The
Albanian Government filed no reply or other document. The
case became ready for hearing after September ~st, 1949, and
the date of the commencement of the hearing was fixed for
November 17th.
In a telegram dated November 15th, the Deputy-Minister
for Foreign Affairs of ~ltania reasserted the opinion expressed in
the Albanian Agent's letter of June zgth, and stated that the
Albanian Government did not consider it necessary to be repre-
sented at the hearing.
At the public hearing on Xovember 17th, the Court heard
statementsby SirEric Beckett, K.C., Agent, and Sir Frank Soskice,
K.C., Counselfor the United Kingdom. The latter asked the Court
to give judgment that the amount of compensation due \ras the
6 JUDGibIENT OF I5 XII 19 (CORFU-COMPENSATION)
247
amouilt stated in the final submissions contained in the written
Observations of the Cnited Kingdom dated July &th, 1949,
namely :
in respect of H.M.S. Saumarez .. 700,087
in respect of H.M.S. Volage .... . £ 93,812
in respect of deaths and injuries of naval
personnel .......... . jl 50,048
Total ..... L 843,947
The -4lbanian Government was absent and made no submis-
sioils.
At the same sitting, after the Agent for the llnited King-
dom Goverilment had been heard, the President announced that the
Court had decided, in pursuance of paragraph 2 of Article 53 of
the Statute, to examine the figures and estimates submitted by the
United Kirigdom Government, and, in conformity with Article 50
of the Statute, to entrust this investigation to experts as it involved
questions of a technical nature.
In an Order dated November ~gth, 1949,the Court appointed
as experts Rear-Admira1 J. B. Berck, of the Royal Netherlands
Navy, and Mr. G. de Rooy, Director of Naval Construction, Koyal
Netherlands Navy, with instructions to "examine the figures and
estimates stated in the last submissions filedby the Government
of the United Kingdom regarding the amount of its claim for the
loss of theSazcmarezand the damage caused to the Volage". The
Court fixed December 2nd as the time-limit for the filing of the
experts' Report. This document \vas filed within the time fixed,
aiid duly communicated to the Parties. A time-limit expiring on
December 10th was given them for the submission of observations.
As some members of the Court had asked for certain explana-
tions in regard to the Report, the experts, summoned to a m-ting
of the Court, replied on December 3rd to questions put to them.
These replies were immediately communicated to the Parties.
The United Kingdom Government, by telegram dated
December 6th, 1949, and confirmed by a letter of the same date,
stated that it noted that the experts had come to the conclusion
that the claim submitted by that Government might be taken as a
fair and accurate estimate of the damage sustained and did not
therefore wish to make any observations on the particular calcula-
tions of the experts.
On the expiry of the time-limit granted to the Parties for
the submission of their written observations, a letter signed bythe Albanian Chargéd'Affaires in Paris, and dated Llecember ~oth,
1949, was handed to the Registrar of the Court. This letter asked
for a change in the procedure instituted by the Court for the
submission of observations and, failing that, for a prolongation of
the appointed time-limit until December zyd. The Court points
out that it has given ample opportunity to the Albanian Govern-
ment to defend its case ; that, instead of availing itself of this
op~ortunity, that Government has twice disputed the Court's
jurisdiction in the preseiit part of the proceedings, that it did not
filesubmissioi~s and declined to appear at the public hearing on
November 17th. In those circumstances the Court cannot grailt
the request of the Albanian Governrnent.
As lias bcen said abovc., the Albanian Govcrnrnent di>-
puttd the jurisdiction of the Court n-ith regard to the asscsb-
meiit of damages. The Court inay confine itself to stating
that this jurisdiction was established by its Judgment of
April gth, 1949 ; that, in accordance with the Statute (Article 6o),
which, for the settlement of the present dispute, is binding upoii
the Albanian Government, that Judgment is final and without
appeal, and that therefore the matter 1sres jzidicata.
The position adopted by the Albanian Government brings
into operation Article 53 of the Statute, \\-hich applies to procedurc
in default of appearance. This Article entitles the 1-nited Kingdom
Government to cal1 upon the Court to decide in favour of its
claim, and, on the other hand, obliges the Court to satisfy itself
that the claim is well founded in tact and la\\-. \fbile Article 53
thus obliges the Court to consider the s~ibmissions of the Party
which appears, it does not compel the Court to examine their
accuracy in al1 their details; for this might in certain unopposetl
cases prove impossible in practice. It is sufficient for the Court
to convince itself by such methods as it considers suitable that
the submissions are well founded.
It was in view of thesc considerations and on account of tlie
technical nature of the questions involveci in the assessment of
compensation in the present case that the Court ordered the expert
encluiry mentioned above.
The claim of the rnited Kingdom Government is undcr
three separate heads which will be considered in succession.
I. Loss of the destroyer "Saunzare~"
In the filial submissions contained in its ~vritten Observatioii~
of July 28th, 1949, and maintained in its oral state~neiit of
November 17th, 1949, the 'C7iiitedIiiiigdom Go\.t~riirncntestimates
8the damage sustained by the total loss of the destroyer Snunzare,-
at £700,087 ;this sum represents the replacement value of the ship
at the time of its loss in 1946 (after deducting the value of usable
parts-equipment, scrap), and the value of stores that must be
considered as lost.
The experts, for their part, estimated the whole of this
damage at a somewhat higher figure, L 716,780.
The Court considers the true measure of compensation in
the present case to be the replacement cost of the Saztmarez
at the time of its loss. The Court is of the opinion that the
amount of compensation claimed by the L-nited Kingdom Govern-
ment has bceri justified. It cannot award more than the amouiit
claimed in the submissions of the United Kingdom Gollernment.
2. Dnmage to tlze destroyer "Volage"
In the final subrnissions as stated in its written Observations
of July zSth, 1949, and maintained in its statement in Court, the
Gnited Kingdom Government, under the head of damage caused
to this vessel, claimed a sum oflt93,812. The slightly lower figure
of the experts,t90,800,may, as their Report points out, be explained
by the necessarily approximate nature of the valuation, especially
as regards stores and equipment.
The Court considers that the figures submitted by the Vnited
Kingdom Government are reasonable and that its claim is well
founded. In this matter it takes note of the following conclusion
in the experts' Report :"During their enquiry and calculations,
and as a result of their experience and of the information placed
before them, the experts have become convinced that the claim
of 793,899 submitted by the United Kingdom Government may
be taken as a fair and accurate estimate of the damage sustained."
3. Claims in respectofdenths and injziries of tinzlalpersonnel
In the final submissions as stated in its written Observations of
July 28th, 1949, and maintained in its statement in Court, the
Gnited Kingdom Government claimed under this head a sum of
L 50,048, representirig the cost of pensions and other grants made
by it to victims ortheir depciidants, and for costs of administration,
medical treatment, etc. JVDGMEEjT OF 1j XII 49 (CORFC-COJIPENS.~TIOK)
250
This expenditure has been proved to the satisfaction of the
Court by the documents produced by the United Kingdom Govern-
ment as Aililexes 12 and 13 to its Memorial, and by the supple-
mentary information and corrections made thereto in Appendices 1,
II and III of that Government's Obscrvations of July z8th, 1949.
Finally, the Court points out that the United Kingdom
Government, in paragraph 6 of its mitten Observations of
July 28th, 1949, inentioned certain damage, for which it
expressly stated that it did not ask for compensation. The Court
need therefore express no view on this subject.
by twelve votes to two,
Gives judgment in favour of the claim of the Go\-erilinent of
the United Kingdom, and
Fixes the amount of compensation due from the People's
Republic of -4lbania to the 'Cnited Kingdom at jC843,947.
Done in French and English, the French text being author-
itative, at the Peace Palace, The Hague, this fifteenth day of
December, one thousand nine hundred and forty-nine, in three
copies, one of which will be placed in the archives of the Court
and the others transmitted to the Governments of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the
People's Kepublic of ,411)aniarespectively.
(Sig~iedJ. G. GC'ERRERO,
Acting President
(Sigjted)E. HAMBRO,
Registrar JUDGMEST 3F 15 XII 49 (coKFU-COMPENSATION)
251
Judge KRYLOd Veclares that he isunable to agree either with
the operative clause or with the reasons for the Judgment.
Judge ECER, judge ad hoc, declaring that he is unable to
concur in the Judgment of the Court, has availed himself of the
right conferred on hlm by Article 57 of the Statute and appended
to the Judgment a statement of his dissenting opinion.
(Initialled) J. G. G.
(Initialled) E. H. ANNEX 1
LIST OF DOCUMENTSSUBMITTED TO THE COURT
AFTER THE JUDGMENTOF APRIL gth, 1949
Affidavitsigned by the Deputy-Secretaryof the British Admiralty
(November 7th, 1949). ANNEX 2
EXPERTS' REPORT OF DECEMBER ~st, 1949
Replacement value :"Saumarez"
The experts have made an estimate of the cost of construction of
a destroyer of the Saumarez type, with the aid of the information placed
at their disposa1 by the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands
shipyards. This estimate has been checked in respect of wages, output,
organization and of the rise in prices in England, and thus a new estimate
on a British basis has been arrived at.
The "interest on the growing capital outlay" has not been taken into
account in this calculation, as its inclusion did not seem to be justifiable
in the present proposal. On the otlier hand, a sum in respect of insurance,
on a post-war basis, has been included.
The esperts appliecl the cost of building a completed destroyer to
a destroyer of the Saztmarez type ; they also made a new calculation on
a British basis. The smaller of the above two figures, which differ but
little one from the other, was taken, and a cost price of l739,470 on
a 1946 basis was arrived at.
In estimating the true replacement value, account was taken of the
fact tliat during the first year of a ship's service, the decrease in value
of the ship is counterbalanced by additions ancl alterations and, iltter
dia, by tlie extra cost of preparing the ship as a flotilla leader. After
the first year, a clepreciation begins to occur and grows steadily greater
witli tlic lapse of time. Taking tlie life of a sliip as fifteen years, the
deprcciation (luring the first tliree years would be respectiv0-1-2 ;
thiis, the replacement value of H.M.S. Saunzarez in 1946 must be
reckoned at /717,280.
Valztc of stores
\Irit1i the lielp of the blue prints of a former British destroyer of
tlic same class, the esperts made an approsimate calculation of the
damage sustained through the loss, damaging and unserviceability due
to sea-water, of tlie stores contained in tlie bows of tlie ship. Tliey
estimate this damage at £23,300.
Value of still serviceaO1equipment
The total value of £74,870 mentioned for equipment is in agreement
witli tlie data placed at the experts' disposa1 from similar ships. As it has been stated by the United Kingdom that the equipment
in question had been in the ship since 1946, it may be assumed that,
besides that part that was damaged by mine-explosion or by sea-
water, the rest has seriously deteriorated through lack of upkee;conse-
quently, an estimate of its value must be in the nature of speculation.
Taking al1 risks into consideration, a claim of ~20,ooo is considered
reasonable.
Scrap
Taking into consideration the necessary cost of salvaging and cutting
up, as well as the cost of transporting thematerial from hfalta to the
scrap plants, £3,800 may be taken as a reasonable figure.
Compensationfor "Saumarez"
In view of what has been stated, the experts have arrived at the
followingfigurefor damage to H.M.S. Saumarez :
Replacement value ........ £717,280
Stores ............ L 23,300
Less 20,000 + 3,800 ......
Damage "Volage"
The experts were in the fortunate position of having directed the
It is true that in the former case, only a small part of the bows had.
to be replaced ; but this afforded a good basis of comparison. In
arriving at their figures, the experts had to take account of the fact
that the more extensive repairs to H.M.S. Volagerequired a long period
of 205 days in dock ;this had considerable influence on the total cost.
The greater cost of transport of material had also to be considered,
and lastly the cost of the trials after the completion of repairs. In
the experts' opinion,these trial voyages are inseparably connected with
such extensive repairs.
The experts estimate the total of these costs at £64,300.
Stores
As regards the valuation of lost stores, what has been said in the
case of H.M.S. Saumarezholds good. Taking into consideration the loss
of anti-submarine equipment, this figure is estimated at £26,500.
Compe~zsationfor "Volage"
Repairs Volage. ......... £64,300
Stores and equipment ....... £26,500 The experts would point out that their figures are an approximation,
especially in the case of the value of stores and equipment, and still
more as a considerable part of the equipment is of a secret nature, and
further tliat the portions of equipment that remain would have to be
clismantled and esamined before an exact estimate of their value were
possible.
During their enquiry and calculations, and as a result of their expe-
rience and of the information placecl before them, the experts have
become convinced that the claim of £793,890 submitted by the United
the damage sustained.y be taken as a fair and accurate estimate of
This Report was drawn up in English in one copy at the Peace Palace,
The Hague, this first day of December, one thousand nine hundred
and forty-nine.
(Signed)BERCK
(Signed) G. DE ROOY ANNEX 3
QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS OFTHE COURT AND REPLIES
OF THE EXPERTS (MEETING OF DECEMBER 3rd, 1949)
Present: Acting-President Guerrero, Judges Alvarez, Hackworth,
Winiarski, ZoriCiC,De Visscher, Sir Arnold McNair, Klaestad, Badawi
Pasha, Krylov, Read, Hsu Mo, Azevedo, M. Eter, Judge ad hoc ; Regis-
trar Hambro. Also present as Experts. Rear-Admiral J. B. Berck, of
the Royal Netherlands Navy, Mr. G. de Rooy, Director of Naval Con-
struction of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
The PRESIDENT[translatio~].-The Court is now sitting. Ive have
asked the experts to come for a few moments to to-day's sitting, to
enable them to supply certain members of the Court with esplanations
that they would like to have on the Experts' Report.
You have before you the questions on which Our colleagues would
like to have esplanations. Would the Experts kindly reply to Judge
De Visscher's question :
Would the experts explain the differencebetween the two methods
of calculation referred to respectively in paragraphs I and 3 of
page I of the Report l ?
Rear-Admiral BERCK.-T~~ evaluation of the construction costs of
the destroyer Saumarez was approached by two ways :
In the first instance, we started from the actual costs ofa completed
destroyer of 1,925 tons standard displacement, revised the calculation
for the Saumarez of 1,730 tons, taking into account differences in labour
wages, labour performance and costs of materials, and arrived at a cost
for new construction in 1946 of £751,750.
In the second place, we followed the normal proceedings in planning
a new ship. We calculated the building costs of shipbuilding, engin-
eering, electrical engineering, armament, torpedoes and special equip-
ment, al1 on a 1946 British basis. The result was a new construction
figure of £737,470.
This last figure, having &en obtained in the most accurate way,
was inserted in our report, the first figure serving only as a control.
The PRESIDENT[trnltslatiolzj.-1s M. De Visscher satisfied ?
M. DE VISSCHER[trn%sZation].-Yes, Mr. President.
The PRESIDENT [t~a~tslatio~z].-\~~illthe Expert now reply to Juclge
Azevedo's question ?
See p. 258.paras.I and 3.
21 I. What is the progressive rate of depreciation of a destroyer,
during each year of its existence, which is estimated at fifteen
years ?
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-I. The depreciation value of a destroyer is
due, in the first place, to the normal Wear and tear of the ship. In
the second place, the installed war equipment becomes in the long
run more or less obsolete, depending on the development of new
equipment.
This last influence becomes most marked in the second five years,
as in the last five years the destroyer cannot any longer be considered
as a first line ship, although it is stillsable for many war purposes.
In Our experience, the yearly depreciation must be fixed as follows :
First year, 0% ; second year, 1% ; third year, 2% ; fourth year, 3% ;
fifth year, 4% ; sixth to tenth year, 7% ; eleventh to fifteenth year,
IO%, leaving at the end of fifteen years a residual value of 5Yo. This
is more than the actual scrap value, as the ship is still usable for special
purposes, training, etc.
z. Li'liat was the rate of increase in the cost of building a
destroyer in 1946 and in 1949, as compared with its cost in 1943?
z. The increased cost of building in England in 1946, as compared
with 1943, is about 30%. Our own information tallies in this respect
with the data given in Mr. Powell's affidavit. 1 regret we have not
had time to obtain the necessary data for 1949. 1 would, however,
roughly estimate it at 50 to 60% for warships. For merchant ships it
would be 43%.
The PRESIDENT[tra.nslatio~t].-1s Judge Azevedo satisfied with the
reply ?
Judge AZEVEDO[franslatiolz].-Yes.
The PRESIDENT [tralzslatio~~].-There are now the four questions'
asked by Judge EEer.
Judge EEER [translation].-An answer was given to my questions 2
and 3 in the explanations furnished to Judges De Visscher and Azevedo.
Only questions I and 4 remain to be answered.
I. On page 1, paragraph 2 1, of the Iieport, it is said: "On
the other hand, a sux~in respect of insurance, on a post-war basis,
has been included."
(a) Ca11the experts mention this sum ?
(b) 1 would draw the experts' attention to Mr. Powell's affidavit,
in which two figures are given :
, in paragraph 5 - £21,355).
in paragraph 7 - £ 2,000.
1 See p.258, para. 2. CORFU CHAXSEL (COMPENSATION) - QUESTIONSAND REPLIES 263
It seems to me that the difference may be explained as
follows: in paragraph 5, the figure covers two classes of risks,
the builder's and the King's Enemy risks ; whereas the amount
in paragraph 7 only covers the builder's risks.
Am 1 right ?
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-I (a) -4s the insurance for builder's risk is
fixed at the London Exchange, we put into Our calculation the same
figure as Mr. Powell, namely, ,C;Z,OOO.
(b) As His Excellency Judge ECer rightly points out, the higher
figure in Mr. Powell's affidavit also covers the additional risks in
war-time.
4. On page zl, under "Value of still serviceable equipment", the
Report says: "The total value of £74,870 mentioned for equipment
is in agreement with thedata placed at the experts' disposa1 from
similar ships."
Could the experts say :
(a) Where this figure of £74,870 has been mentioned ?
(b)why do the experts consider reasonable the sum of ~20,000,equipment,
mentioned in paragraph 13 of the United Kingdom Observa-
tions ?
(c) CVhyisit said in the Report that a claim of,620,000is reasonable,
when it is not a claim but, on the contrary, a reduction of the
United Kingdom claim ?
Rear-Admiral B~~c~.-Regarding question 4, at the public Sitting
of this Court held on Thursday, November 17th, Sir Frank Soskice
lists of equipment suited for possible re-use.eThe estimated value of
this equipment as new, was £74,870.
For destroyers of the same class now in service in the Royal Nether-
lands Navy, we made the same valuation and found that the figure
mentioned by the United Kingdom Government for equipment as new,
was acceptable.
As we pointed out in our report, the assessment of the present day
value is of a speculative nature.
The equipment had been in the ship for three years without proper
maintenance, in the sub-tropical climate of Malta, and under the
influence of salty air. Deterioration and corrosion is to be expected.
Before being used again, each instrument has to be taken apart, cleaned
and checked, and corroded parts will have to be replaced. Taking into
account labour and transportation costs, a reduction of &o,ooo is fair
and, in the opinion of the experts, on the high side.
l See p. 258. Regarding question 4 (c)we regret that in the haste of finishing the
report, the jC20,ooowas put down as a claim. As Judge EEer rightly
points out, it is not aaim,but a reduction of the total claim.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-1s Judge mer satisfied?
Judge EEER[tramlation].-Yes, Mr. President.
The PRESIDENT[translation].-We have now Judge Winiarski's
question.
In their Report of December ~st, parva h zl, the expertsSay
that "The 'interest on the growing capitafoutlay' has not been
taken into account in this calculation, asits inclusion did not seem
to be justifiable in thepresent proposai."
(a) W~Y ?
(b) What, in our opinion, were the reasons for including it in
Mr. ~oweg's calculation ?
Rear-Admiral BERCK.-Regarding the question of Judge Winiarski,
the builder of a warship is not paid on delivery of the ship, but during
the time of construction, in instaiments. A first instalment is as a
rule made after the signing of the contract ; further payments when
rincipal parts, for instance, hull, main machine,etc., are completed.
heoretically, it seems right to add to the buil ing costs the interest
on the growing capital outlay.
In Ourexperience,however.this interest is never added to the building
costs.
In Mr. Powell's affidavit, the interest on growing capital outlayis
mentioned, but not includedin the finalclaim.
We are not able to judge the reasons for including thk amount in
Mr. Powell's &davit.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-1s Judge Winiarski satisfied?
Judge WINIARSK[Itranslation].-Yes, Mr. President.
.The PRESIDENT [translation].-DO other members of the Court.wish
to put questions to the experts?
Judge ZoRIE16[trajaslation].-If 1 understood rightly, ~ear-~dmiral
Berck, in reply to Judge De Visscher's question, said that a sum
of £737,470 was reached, whereasthe amount in the report is £739,470.
This point must be clearedup in order that the verbatirn record should
not contradict the Report.
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-ASa matter of fact, the figure of L737,470
is the new construction figure. There must be added the insurance
costs of ,Clz,ooo,nd we kept the new construction figure clear of that.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-Are there any further question?
lSee p. 258,para.2.
24 Judge ECER [translation].-If the experts have examined al1 the
details of the damage, 1 should like to ask them whether they can say
that al1 the damage to the Volage mentioned in the United Kingdom
document is the direct consequence of the explosion.
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-~~'~have seen the details as given by the
United Kingdom Government about the damage to the Tlolage,and we
must consider this as a direct consequence of the mine explosion.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-Itremains for me to thank the experts
for the explanations they have given us ; their replies will be useful to
the Court in fising the amount of the reparations.
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-T~~ experts would like to thank the Court
for having given them the opportunity of having participated in a small
way in the Court's work.
The Court rose at II a.m.
COUR INTERNATIONALE DE JUSTICE
IiECUEIL DES ARRErS,
AVIS CONSULTATIFS ET ORDONNANCES
AFFAIRE DU DÉTROIT
DE CORFOU
(FIXATION DU RIONTANT DES RÉPARATIONS
DUES PAR LL4 RÉPCBLIQUE POPCLAIRE D'ALBANIE
AU ROYAUME-US1 DE GRANDE-BRETAGNE
ET 1)'IKLASD111NORI))
ARRÊT DU 1s DÉCEMBRE1949
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
REPORTS OF JUDGMENTS,
ADVISORY OPINIONS AND ORDERS
THE CORFU
CHANNEL CASE
(ASSESSMENT OF THE .-\hiOCNT OF CORIPEKSATION
C)CIiFROJi THE PEOPLE'S REPVBLIC OF ALBANIA
'KTHE 11NITEII KINGDOM OF GKEAT BIIITXIN
.\NU NORTHERN IRELANI))
JUDGMENT OF DECEMBER15th, 1949
1,EYDI: LEYDEN
SO(:II?TI? D'ÉDITIONSA.W. SIJTFIOE'F'S
AIV.SIJTHOE'F PUBLISHICOMPANY 1-c.\x&seiit ari-;t cloit Ctre cite co:nie suit
.-ffaird2tDéfroiide ('ovjou, ilvrrIjddkc-enzb1940
C'1. 1. h'rczt1949, p.244.))
This .liidgi-i~cnt s\>rcitt'd as foll:ws
"Corjli ('hnltnel cJicdgmenfof Derember~jth,1949:
I.C',/.h'eporfs 1940fi244."
NO de vente:
1,,. ..,.. 28 1 COUR INTERNATIONALEDE JUSTICE
1949 ANNEE 1949
:ij décenibre
Rôle général
IlC1 15 décembre1949
AFFAIRE DU DETROIT
DE CORFOU
(FIXATIOK DU MONTANTDES RÉPARATIONS
IIUES P.4R LA RÉPUBLIQUE POPULAIRE D'ALBANIE
AU ROYAUME-UNIDE GRANDE-BRETAGNE
ET D'IRLANDE I)U NORD)
1.-isatio.izdi(.~idtes r(:pflrnlio~?ICslfit(. ~/u'tl,~(~g('(i~/f
Irrresponsabilité i~ztrr~~atiottal-d'Co~~tcstaliI/I(trconzpc:-
tplide la Coîir ; chose jziProcédzrrepnv défa-{t.-IPplicntiort
rt i?zdrprétatio?z de l'53fcZzStatztt. -.Vnt~tre l[,c.liitiqztedes
question-. Navires rlc gis-rrIZxpertise. .lleszirc (11'In ripn-
ration. -I'reltües rloczrnzentairec.
Présents: M. GCEKKI:I<P Or, sidenten exercic; MM. ,%LVAREZ,
HACKWORTH W, INIAKSKI.ZORIEIC, LIE) VISSCHER,
Sir Arnold MCNAIH, M. KLAESTAD B,ADAWI PACHA,
MM. KRYLOV,READ, HSU MO, AZEVEDOj,~ges;
M. EEER,juge ad hoc; M. HAMUHO G,:efier. YEAR 1949
December 15th, 1949
THE CORFU
CHANNEL CASE
(ASSESSMENT OF THE AMOVIVT 01; ('0JIPESS.ITIOK
DUE FKORI THE PEOPLE'S REPCBLIC OF -4LBANIA
TO THE VNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT HRITAIS
AND NORTHERN IRELASI))
.-lascs.srI/trirrorriitof c~orir~cfr~.ori c~rrciff c1~t.ri1~1oli.-
ing thtz iiztcv~zntioiinlvc~spoof(i.Strrt~,.-Ol>j<*r tht. Co~trt's
jurisdiclio?? ; rcs j~i<ti~~t;i.-P~~il1d~~f~t14lt.-:~i)pIi~(~tioir(iii(1
interprc'tation .Irticljg of tlicaStntirlr.--7'c.~~/ititi$11~
qzcestions involztcd.-lI~'nrs/iip.~.-- Eizqpt~i~'.~.---- .li~~~~.~ir~(2
coiripe~~satioir.-Dorrr~~~~~zt(~LiIC(y,~~CI
Present : lcti+lcPvesident GUERRER OJzrtlges ALY.\IIEZ, HACK-
WORTH, ~~INIARSKI, ZORICICD , E TT1~~~ll>:~Sir Arnold
MCNAIR,KLAESTADB ,ADAWIPASHA,KRYLOVR , EAD,
HSUMO,AZEVEDO ; M.EEER,Judge ad hoc; M. HA&IBRO,
Regisfrar.
424.5 ARRÊT Dr I5 XII 49 (CORFOI- - KÉI~AR.\.TIOSS)
En l'affaire du Détroit de Corfou (fixation du rnontailt cles
réparations),
le Gouvernement du Royaume-L-ni de Grande-Bretagne ct
d'Irlande du Il'ord, représenté par :
Sir Eric Beckett, K. C. II. G., K. C., jurisconsulte ciu JIinisti.rc.
des Affaires étrangé.rcs,comnlt agent et conseil, assisté de Sir
Frank Soskice, K. C., M. P., Solicitor-General, comme conseil ;
le Gouvernement de la République populaire d'.4lbailie, ilon
représenté,
ainsi composée,
rend l'arrêt suivant :
Par son Arrêt du 9 avril 1949 en l'affaire tlu IjStroit dc
Corfou (fond), la Cour a déclaré la République populaircl
d'Albanie responsable, selon le droit international, des esl)losioris
qui ont eu lieu, le 22 octobre 1946, dans les eaux a1bailaisc.s.
et des dommages et pertes humaines qui en sont suivis ail
préjudice du Royaume-Lni de Grande-Bretagne ct d'Irlande di1
Nord (C. 1. J. Recueil 1949, p. 4).
Dans ledit arrêt, la Cour conclut qu'elle poçsi.de coinp6tcncc.
pour fixer le montant des réparations. Elle précise cependant
qu'elle n'est pas en mesure de le faire dans le mêmcarrêt, le
Gouvernement albanais n'ayant pas encore indiqu4 quels sont,
parmi les diverses sommes réclamées, lesarticles qu'il conteste,
et le Gouvernement du Royaume-~Tni n'ayant pas présenté dc
preuve à l'appui de ses demandes. La Cour énonqait, eii cons;-
qucnce, qu'il y avait lieu d'instituer à cet égard une procédure
dont l'ordre ct les délais seraient fixéspar ordonnance du même
jour.
Aux termes de cette ordonnance et après avoir constaté
que, dans son Mémoire du ~er octobre 1947, le Gouvernement
du Royaume-Uni a énoncé les diverses sommes réclamées par
lui à titre de réparations, la Cour, conformément à l'article 48
de son Statut, et sous réserve du droit des Parties de faire usage
de l'article68 du Règlement, a fixé les délais suivants :25 juin
1949 pour les observations du Gouvernement de la République JUDG3,IENT OF 1 j XII 49 (CORFU-CO~~PENSATIOS) 245
In the Corfu Channel case (assessment of the anlount of coinpen-
sation),
bet-een
the Goveriiment of the United Kingdom of Great Britaiii and
Northern Ireland, represented by :
Sir Eric Beckett, K.C.M.G., K.C., Legal adviser to the Foreign
Office,as Agent and Counsel, assisted by Sir Frank Soskice, K.C.,
M.P., Solicitor-General, as Counçel;
the Goveinment of the People's Republic of Xlbania, not repre-
sented,
composed as above,
delivers the following judgment :
By a Judgment delivered on April gth, 1949, iii the Corfu
Chanilel case (merits), the Court declared the People's Kepublic of
Albania responsible under interiiational law for the explosions
which occurred on October aznd, 1946, in Albanian waters, and
for the damage and loss of human life that resulted therefrom
to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
(I.C.J. Reports 1949, p. 4).
In that judgment the Court decided that it had jurisdictioii
to assess the amount of compensation but statcd that it
could not do so in the same judgment, as the Albanian Govern-
ment had iiot yet statecl which items, if any, of the various sums
claimed it contested, and as the Vnited Kingdom Govcrnment
had not submitted its widence with regard thereto. The Court
therefore stated that further proceedings on this subject were
necessary and that the order and time-limits of these proceedings
~vouldbe fised by an orrler of the same date.
In this order, the Court, after iioting that thc Goveriinicnt
of the rilitcd Kingdom had stated, in its Memorial of October ~st,
1947, the various amounts clainied by way of compensation, and
after reserving the right of the Parties to avail themselves of the
provisions of Article 68 of the Rules of Court, fised, in accordance
with Article 48of the Statute, the followingtime-limits : June zgth,
1949,for the observations of the Albaniail Goverilment ; July zgth,
5 populaire d',Albanie; 2j juillet1949 pour la réponse du (;oui-er-
nement du Royaume-Cni; 25 août 1949 pour la réplique du
Gouvernement de la République populaire d'Albanie. La Cour
énonçait enfin que la suite de la procédure, y compris la nomi-
nation d'experts en cas d-'accord entre les Parties tant sur l'objet
de l'expertise que sur le nom des experts, serait régléepar voie
d'ordonnance par le Président de la Cour en ladite affaire.
A la date du 24 juin 1949, le Président de la Cour rendit
une ordonnance par laquelle, constatant que le ministre adjoint
des Affaires étrangères d'Albanie avait, par dépêchetélégraphique
datée de Tirana le 23 juin, sollicité la prorogation au juillet
du délai afférent à la présentation des observations albanaises
et que rien ne s'opposait à ce qu'il fût fait droit à ladite demande,
il décidait de proroger aux dates suivantes les délais fixés par
l'ordonnance de. la Cour du 9 avril: ICI juillet1949 pour les
observations du Gouvernement de l'Albanie ; 1.1 août pour la
réponse du Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni ; I(-~septembre
pour la réplique du Gouvernement de l'Albanie.
Par lettre datée du 29 juin 1949, l'agent du Gouvernement
albanais faisait connaître que, selon son Gouvernement, «confor-
mément au compromis signé entre les agents de la République
populaire d'Albanie et de la Grande-Bretagne le 25 mars 1948
et qui a étéprésenté à la Cour le même jour, la Cour devait
examiner uniquement la question de savoir si l'Albanie était
obligée ou non de payer les réparations des dommages causés
aux navires de guerre britanniques dans l'incident du 22 octobre
1946 et le compromis ne prévoyait pas que la Cour aurait le droit
de fixer le montant des réparations et de demander, en consb-
quence, des informations à l'Albanie à ce sujet n.
Le Gouvernement du Royaume-Vni a dépose ses observations
dans le délai fixé en se prévalant de l'article 53 du Statut.
Aucune réplique ni document quelconque ne fut présenté par
le Gouvernement albanais. Après le ler septembre 1949, l'affaire
s'est trouvée en état et la date d'ouverture de la procédure
orale fut fixée au 17 novembre.
Par télégramine du 15 novembre, le ministre adjoint des
Affaires étrangères d'Albanie, confirmant le point de vue exprime
dans la lettre de son agent en date du 29 juin, faisait sa\-oique.
le Gouvernement de la République populaire d'Albanie n'estimait
pas nécessaire de se faire représenter à l'audience de la Cour.
A l'audience publique du 17 novembre, la Cour entendit
les exposés oraux de Sir Eric Beckett, K. C., agent, et Sir Frank
Soskice, K. C., conseil du Royaume-[;ni. Ce dernier demanda à
la Cour d'adjuger les conclusions finales qui avaient été$non-
G1949, for the reply of the Vnited Kingdom Government, and
August 25th, 1949, for the reply of the Albanian Government.
Finally, the Court directed that further procedure, including
the appointment of experts in case of agreement being reached
by the Parties both as to the subject of the experts' opinion and
as to the names of the experts, should be regulated by order of
the President of the Court in this case.
On June 24th, 1949, the President of the Court made an
order in which it was stated that by telegram, dated at Tirana,
June zyd, 1949,the Deputy-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania
had asked for the extension of the time-limit for the presentation
of the Albanian observations to July ~st, 1949, and that therc
was no reason for refusing that request. The President accordingly
decided to extend the time-limits fixed by the Order of the Court
of April 9th as follows : July ~st, 1949, for the observations of
ment of the UnitednmeKingdomAug;September 1st for the reply of the-
Albanian Government .
In a letter dated June zgth, 1949,the Agent for the Albanian
Government informed the Court that, in the opinion of his Govern-
ment : "in accordance with the Special Agreement signeà between
the Agents of the People's Republic of Albania and of Great
Britain, on March 25th, 1948, and presented to the Court on the
same day, the Court had solely to consider the question whether
Albania was, or was not, obliged to pay compensation for the
damage caused to the British warships in the incident of Octo-
ber zznd, 1946, and the Special Agreement did not provide that
the Court should have the right to fix the amount of the compen-
sation and, consequently, to ask Albania for information on that
subject".
The United Kingdom Government filed its observatioiis
within the time fixed and invoked Article 53 of the Statute. The
Albanian Government filed no reply or other document. The
case became ready for hearing after September ~st, 1949, and
the date of the commencement of the hearing was fixed for
November 17th.
In a telegram dated November 15th, the Deputy-Minister
for Foreign Affairs of ~ltania reasserted the opinion expressed in
the Albanian Agent's letter of June zgth, and stated that the
Albanian Government did not consider it necessary to be repre-
sented at the hearing.
At the public hearing on Xovember 17th, the Court heard
statementsby SirEric Beckett, K.C., Agent, and Sir Frank Soskice,
K.C., Counselfor the United Kingdom. The latter asked the Court
to give judgment that the amount of compensation due \ras the
6cées dans les observations écrites du Royaume-Uni en date du
28 juillet 1949, à savoir :
pour le Saumarez . . ;700.087
pour le Volage . . £ 93.812
à raison des décèset blessures affectant le
personnel naval ........ f:50.048
Total ...... L843.947
Le Gouvernement albanais, absent, n'a présenté aucune
conclusion.
A la mêmeaudience, l'agent du Gouvernement du Royaume-
Uni dûment entendu, le Président a fait savoir que la Cour
avait décidé,en application de l'article 53, paragraphe 2, di1
Statut, de vérifierles chiffres et estimations produits par le Gou-
vernement du Royaume-Uni et, conformément à l'article 50 du
Statut, de confier cet examen à des experts, ces chiffres et esti-
mations soulevant des questions de nature technique.
Par ordonnance di1 19 novembre 1949, la Cour désigna
comme experts le contre-amiral J. B. Berck, de la Marine royale
néerlandaise, et M.G. de Rooy, directeur des constructions navales
de la Marine royale néerlandaise, leur mission ayant pour objet
«l'examen des chiffres et estimations énoncésdans les dernières
conclusions du Royaume-Uni comme montants des réclamations
relatives à la perte du Saumarez et aux dommages subis par le
Volage ».La Cour avait fixéau 2 décembre le délai dans lequel
les experts devaient déposer leur rapport.. Celui-ci fut déposé
dans le délaifixé,et dûment communiqué aux Parties. Un délai
expirant le IO décembre leur fut-imparti pour le dépôt de leurs
observations éventuelles.
Quelques membres de la Cour ayant demandé des éclair-
cissements au sujet dudit rapport, les experts, convoqués en
Chambre du Conseil, répondirent le 3 décembre aux questions
posées. Ces réponses furent immédiatement comn~uniquéesaux
Parties.
Le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni, par télégramme du
6 décembre 1949, confirmé par lettre du- mêmejour, fit savoir
qu'il notait que les experts étaient arrivés à la conclusion que
la demande de ce Gouvernement pouvait êtreconsidérée.comme
une évaluation raisonnable et exacte des dommages subis. Il
n'avait donc pas l'intention de présenter des observations sur
le détail des calculs établis par les experts.
A l'expiration du délai assignéaux Parties pour la présen-
tation de leurs observations écrites, une lettre signéepar le chargé JUDGibIENT OF I5 XII 19 (CORFU-COMPENSATION)
247
amouilt stated in the final submissions contained in the written
Observations of the Cnited Kingdom dated July &th, 1949,
namely :
in respect of H.M.S. Saumarez .. 700,087
in respect of H.M.S. Volage .... . £ 93,812
in respect of deaths and injuries of naval
personnel .......... . jl 50,048
Total ..... L 843,947
The -4lbanian Government was absent and made no submis-
sioils.
At the same sitting, after the Agent for the llnited King-
dom Goverilment had been heard, the President announced that the
Court had decided, in pursuance of paragraph 2 of Article 53 of
the Statute, to examine the figures and estimates submitted by the
United Kirigdom Government, and, in conformity with Article 50
of the Statute, to entrust this investigation to experts as it involved
questions of a technical nature.
In an Order dated November ~gth, 1949,the Court appointed
as experts Rear-Admira1 J. B. Berck, of the Royal Netherlands
Navy, and Mr. G. de Rooy, Director of Naval Construction, Koyal
Netherlands Navy, with instructions to "examine the figures and
estimates stated in the last submissions filedby the Government
of the United Kingdom regarding the amount of its claim for the
loss of theSazcmarezand the damage caused to the Volage". The
Court fixed December 2nd as the time-limit for the filing of the
experts' Report. This document \vas filed within the time fixed,
aiid duly communicated to the Parties. A time-limit expiring on
December 10th was given them for the submission of observations.
As some members of the Court had asked for certain explana-
tions in regard to the Report, the experts, summoned to a m-ting
of the Court, replied on December 3rd to questions put to them.
These replies were immediately communicated to the Parties.
The United Kingdom Government, by telegram dated
December 6th, 1949, and confirmed by a letter of the same date,
stated that it noted that the experts had come to the conclusion
that the claim submitted by that Government might be taken as a
fair and accurate estimate of the damage sustained and did not
therefore wish to make any observations on the particular calcula-
tions of the experts.
On the expiry of the time-limit granted to the Parties for
the submission of their written observations, a letter signed byd'affaires d'Albanieà Paris, datée du IOdécembre1949,fut remise
au Greffier de la Cour. Cette lettre demandait une modification
de la procédureinstituée par la Cour pour cette présentation et,
subsidiairement, une prolongation au 23 décembre du délaifixé.
La Cour constate qu'elle a donnétoute latitude au Gouvernement
albanais pour défendre sa cause ; que, au lieu de s'en prévaloir,
ce Gouvernement a par deux fois contesté la compétence de la
Courdans la présenteinstance, qu'iln'a pas déposé de conclusionset
qii'ila décliné dcomparaitre.à l'audience publique du 17novembre.
Dans ces circonstances, la Cour ne peut donner suite à la demande
du Gouvernement albanais.
Ainsi qu'il a été dit,le Gouvernement albanais a contesté
la compétence de la Cour aux fins de fixer le montant des répa-
rations. La Cour peut se borner à constater que cette compétence
a étéétabliepar son Arrêtdu 9 avril 1949; qu'aux termes de son
Statut (article 60), qui, pour le règlement du présent différend,
oblige le Gouvernement albanais, cet arrêt est définitif et sans
recours et qu'en conséquence ily a à cet égard chose jugée.
L'attitude adoptée par le Gouvernement albanais a pour
effet de le soumettre aux dispositions de l'article 53 du Statut,
applicable à la procédure par défaut. Cet article autorise, d'une
part, le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni à demander à la Cour
de lui adjuger ses conclusions; il prescrit, d'autre partàla Cour,
de s'assurer que lesdites conclusions sont fondéesen fait et en
droit. Tout en prescrivant ainsià la Cour de procéder à un examen
des conclusions de la Partie comparante, l'article 53 n'a pas pour
effet de lui imposer la tâche d'en vérifierl'exactitude dans tous
les détails,- tâche qui, dans certains cas et en raison de l'absence
de contradiction, pourrait s'avérer pratiquement impossible. Il
suffit que, par les voies qu'elle estime appropriées,la Cour acquière
la conviction que ces conclusions sont fondées.
C'est en s'inspirant de cette conception, ainsi que de la
nature technique des questions soulevéesdans la présenteinstance
par la fixation du montant des réparations, que la Cour a ordonné
l'expertise dont mention a étéfaite ci-dessus.
Les réclamations du Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni com-
prennent trois chefs distincts qui seront examinés successivement.
1.Perte du contre-torpilleu((Sazcmarez ))
Ilans ses conclusions finales énoncéesdans ses Observations
écritesdu 28 juillet 1949 et maintenues dans son exposéoral du
17 novembre 1949, le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni évalue
Sthe Albanian Chargéd'Affaires in Paris, and dated Llecember ~oth,
1949, was handed to the Registrar of the Court. This letter asked
for a change in the procedure instituted by the Court for the
submission of observations and, failing that, for a prolongation of
the appointed time-limit until December zyd. The Court points
out that it has given ample opportunity to the Albanian Govern-
ment to defend its case ; that, instead of availing itself of this
op~ortunity, that Government has twice disputed the Court's
jurisdiction in the preseiit part of the proceedings, that it did not
filesubmissioi~s and declined to appear at the public hearing on
November 17th. In those circumstances the Court cannot grailt
the request of the Albanian Governrnent.
As lias bcen said abovc., the Albanian Govcrnrnent di>-
puttd the jurisdiction of the Court n-ith regard to the asscsb-
meiit of damages. The Court inay confine itself to stating
that this jurisdiction was established by its Judgment of
April gth, 1949 ; that, in accordance with the Statute (Article 6o),
which, for the settlement of the present dispute, is binding upoii
the Albanian Government, that Judgment is final and without
appeal, and that therefore the matter 1sres jzidicata.
The position adopted by the Albanian Government brings
into operation Article 53 of the Statute, \\-hich applies to procedurc
in default of appearance. This Article entitles the 1-nited Kingdom
Government to cal1 upon the Court to decide in favour of its
claim, and, on the other hand, obliges the Court to satisfy itself
that the claim is well founded in tact and la\\-. \fbile Article 53
thus obliges the Court to consider the s~ibmissions of the Party
which appears, it does not compel the Court to examine their
accuracy in al1 their details; for this might in certain unopposetl
cases prove impossible in practice. It is sufficient for the Court
to convince itself by such methods as it considers suitable that
the submissions are well founded.
It was in view of thesc considerations and on account of tlie
technical nature of the questions involveci in the assessment of
compensation in the present case that the Court ordered the expert
encluiry mentioned above.
The claim of the rnited Kingdom Government is undcr
three separate heads which will be considered in succession.
I. Loss of the destroyer "Saunzare~"
In the filial submissions contained in its ~vritten Observatioii~
of July 28th, 1949, and maintained in its oral state~neiit of
November 17th, 1949, the 'C7iiitedIiiiigdom Go\.t~riirncntestimates
8à fj 700.087 le dommage éprouvépar la perte totale du contre-
torpilleur Saumarez, ladite somme représentant la valeur de rem-
placement du navire au moment de sa perte, soit en 1946 (déduc-
tion faite des éléments récupérables - installations, ferraille),ainsi
que la valeur de la partie du matériel d'équipementqui doit être
considéréecomme perdue.
Les experts, de leur côté,ont estimé l'ensemblede ces dom-
mages à une somme quelque peu supérieure, soit £716.780.
La Cour admet comme la juste mesure de la réparation
dans la présente affaire la valeur de remplacement du Saumarez
au moment de sa perte. Elle tient pour justifié le montant de
l'indemnité réclaméepar le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni.
Elle ne peut pas lui allouer une sommesupérieure à celle demandée
dans ses conclusions.
2. Dommagescausésau contre-torpilleur « Volage 1)
Dans ses conclusions finales énoncéestant en ses Observations
écritesdu 28juillet 1949que dans son exposéoral,le Gouvernement
navire, une somme delamf:93.812. L'estimation légèrement inférieuree
des experts, soit f:90.800, peut s'expliquer, comme l'indique le
rapport d'expertise, par le caractère nécessairement approximatif
des évaluations, notamment en ce qui est de la valeur du matériel
d'équipement et des installations.
La Cour considère le chiffre produit par le Gouvernement
du Royaume-Uni comme raisonnable et sa réclamation comme
fondée. Elle tient compte à cet égard de la conclusion suivante
qu'elle relève dans le rapport d'expertise :« A la suite de leur
enquêteet de leurs calculs, et tenant compte de leur expérience
personnelle ainsi que des renseignements qui leur ont étéfournis,
demandé par le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni, peut être 793.899,
considérécomme une évaluation juste et équitable du dommage
subi.))
navalètpour les blessuresinfEigée s cepersonnelsdans lcpersonnel
Le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni, dans ses conclusions finales
énoncéesen ses Observations écrites du 28 juillet 1949 et main-
tenues dans son exposéoral, a réclamé dece chef la somme de
f:50.048, ladite somme représentant les dépenses résultant des
pensions et indemnités allouéespar lui aux victimes ou à leurs
ayants droit, ainsi que des frais d'administration, de traitements
médicaux, etc.
9the damage sustained by the total loss of the destroyer Snunzare,-
at £700,087 ;this sum represents the replacement value of the ship
at the time of its loss in 1946 (after deducting the value of usable
parts-equipment, scrap), and the value of stores that must be
considered as lost.
The experts, for their part, estimated the whole of this
damage at a somewhat higher figure, L 716,780.
The Court considers the true measure of compensation in
the present case to be the replacement cost of the Saztmarez
at the time of its loss. The Court is of the opinion that the
amount of compensation claimed by the L-nited Kingdom Govern-
ment has bceri justified. It cannot award more than the amouiit
claimed in the submissions of the United Kingdom Gollernment.
2. Dnmage to tlze destroyer "Volage"
In the final subrnissions as stated in its written Observations
of July zSth, 1949, and maintained in its statement in Court, the
Gnited Kingdom Government, under the head of damage caused
to this vessel, claimed a sum oflt93,812. The slightly lower figure
of the experts,t90,800,may, as their Report points out, be explained
by the necessarily approximate nature of the valuation, especially
as regards stores and equipment.
The Court considers that the figures submitted by the Vnited
Kingdom Government are reasonable and that its claim is well
founded. In this matter it takes note of the following conclusion
in the experts' Report :"During their enquiry and calculations,
and as a result of their experience and of the information placed
before them, the experts have become convinced that the claim
of 793,899 submitted by the United Kingdom Government may
be taken as a fair and accurate estimate of the damage sustained."
3. Claims in respectofdenths and injziries of tinzlalpersonnel
In the final submissions as stated in its written Observations of
July 28th, 1949, and maintained in its statement in Court, the
Gnited Kingdom Government claimed under this head a sum of
L 50,048, representirig the cost of pensions and other grants made
by it to victims ortheir depciidants, and for costs of administration,
medical treatment, etc. Le montant de ces dépensesa étéjustifié à la satisfactioil
de la Cour par les documents que le Gouvernement du Royaume-
Cni a produits sous les annese12 et 13 de son Mémoire,ainsi que
par les indications complémentaires et les rectifications qui y ont
étéapportéessous les appendices 1,II et III de ses Observations
du z8 juillet 1949.
La Cour observe enfin que sous le paragraphe 6de ses Obser-
vations écritesdu 28 juillet 1949, le Gouvernement du Royaume-
Uni a fait mention de certains dommages,mais qu'il déclare expres-
sément renoncer à en êtreindemnisé. La Cour n'a donc pas à
exprimer d'opinion à ce sujet.
p.4~ CES JfOTIFS,
L.4 COUR,
par clouzc l'oix contre deus,
Adjuge au Gouvernement du Royaume-'L'nises conclusions;
Fixe à t 843.947 le montant des réparatioils dues par la Répu-
blique populaire d'Albanie au Royaumc-Vni.
Fait en français et en anglais, le texte français faisant foi,
ail Palais de la l'ais,à La Haye, le quinze décembre mil neuf
cent quarante-neuf, en trois exemplaires, dont l'un restera déposé
aux archives de la Cour et dont les autres seront transmis respec-
tivement au Gouvernement du Royaume-Vni de Grande-Bretagne
et d'Irlande du Nord et au Gouverncinent de la République
populaire d'Albanie.
Le Président en exercice,
(Signé)J. G. GCERRERO
Le Greffier de la Cour,
(Signé E). HAJIBRO JVDGMEEjT OF 1j XII 49 (CORFC-COJIPENS.~TIOK)
250
This expenditure has been proved to the satisfaction of the
Court by the documents produced by the United Kingdom Govern-
ment as Aililexes 12 and 13 to its Memorial, and by the supple-
mentary information and corrections made thereto in Appendices 1,
II and III of that Government's Obscrvations of July z8th, 1949.
Finally, the Court points out that the United Kingdom
Government, in paragraph 6 of its mitten Observations of
July 28th, 1949, inentioned certain damage, for which it
expressly stated that it did not ask for compensation. The Court
need therefore express no view on this subject.
by twelve votes to two,
Gives judgment in favour of the claim of the Go\-erilinent of
the United Kingdom, and
Fixes the amount of compensation due from the People's
Republic of -4lbania to the 'Cnited Kingdom at jC843,947.
Done in French and English, the French text being author-
itative, at the Peace Palace, The Hague, this fifteenth day of
December, one thousand nine hundred and forty-nine, in three
copies, one of which will be placed in the archives of the Court
and the others transmitted to the Governments of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the
People's Kepublic of ,411)aniarespectively.
(Sig~iedJ. G. GC'ERRERO,
Acting President
(Sigjted)E. HAMBRO,
Registrar M. KRYLOV j, ge, déclarne pouvoirse rallierni au dispositif
ni aux motifs de l'arrêt.
M. EEER,juge ad hoc, déclarantne pouvoir se rallier à
du Statut, joint audit arrêtl'esposéde son opinion dissidente.7
(Paraphé)J. G. G.
(Parapltd)E. H. JUDGMEST 3F 15 XII 49 (coKFU-COMPENSATION)
251
Judge KRYLOd Veclares that he isunable to agree either with
the operative clause or with the reasons for the Judgment.
Judge ECER, judge ad hoc, declaring that he is unable to
concur in the Judgment of the Court, has availed himself of the
right conferred on hlm by Article 57 of the Statute and appended
to the Judgment a statement of his dissenting opinion.
(Initialled) J. G. G.
(Initialled) E. H. ANNEXE 1
LISTE DES DOCUMENTSSOUMIS =\LA COUR
APRÈS L'ARRÊT DU 9 AVRIL 194')
.iffidavit de 31. le sous-secrétaire de lJL4mirauté(7novem-que
bre 1939). ANNEX 1
LIST OF DOCUMENTSSUBMITTED TO THE COURT
AFTER THE JUDGMENTOF APRIL gth, 1949
Affidavitsigned by the Deputy-Secretaryof the British Admiralty
(November 7th, 1949). ANNEXE 2
RAPPORT DES EXPERTS DU Icr DECEMBRE 1949
[Traduction]
[Version revisée]
Valeur deremplacement : « Saumarez »
En s'aidant de renseignements mis à leur disposition par la Marine
royale néerlandaise et par les ateliers néerlandais, les experts ont
évaluéle coût de la construction d'un contre-torpilleur du mêmetype
que le Saztmarez. Cette évaluation a étécontrôlée, au point de vue
des salaires, de la production, de l'organisation et de la hausse des
prix en .4ngleterre, et les experts sont ainsi arrivéà une évaluation
nouvelle sur une base britannique.
On n'a pas fait entrer dans le calcul1'1intérêt surl'investissement
croissant de capital»,l'inclusion de ce facteur ne semblant pas pouvoir
se justifier dans la présente proposition. D'un autre côté, on a fait
figurer une somme couvrant les assurances, calculée sur une base
d'après guerre.
Les experts ont appliqué à un contre-torpilleur de mêmetype que
le Saumarez le montant représentant le coût de la construction d'un
contre-torpilleur complet ;ils ont également fait un nouveau calcul
sur une base britannique. Ils ont adopté le moins élevédes deux
chiffres ci-dessus mentionnés, qui diffèrent peu l'un de l'autre, et sont
arrivés & un prix de revient de k739.470, sur la base de 1946.
Dans l'évaluation de la valeur de remplacement exacte, on a tenu
compte du fait que, durant la première année pendant laquelle un
navire est en service, la diminution de valeur du navire est contre-
balancée par des adjonctions et modifications, et notamment par les
dépenses supplémentaires qu'entraîne la préparation du navire en vue
cle son rble de conducteur de flottille. Après la première année, la
dépréciation commence à jouer et s'accroit constamment à mesure
(lue le temps s'écoule. Si l'on admet, pour l'existence d'un navire,
une durée de quinze ans, la dépréciation, pendant les trois premières
années, serait respectivement de O-1-z",, ; ainsi la valeur de rempla-
cement du Saumarez en 1946 doit êtreévaluée à & 717.280.
Valeur dt~ nat té reléquipement
A l'aide d'un photocalque (blueprirtts) des plans d'un aiicicn contre-
torpilleur britannique de la même classe, les experts ont calculé
approximativement les dommages subis du fait de la perte du matériel
d'équipement contenu dans le navire et du fait que les approvision-
nements restants ont étéendommagés et rendus inutilisables par l'eau
de mer. Ce dommage a étéévalué à 23.300.
Valeur des installations encore utilisables
Le montant total de k 74.870, qui a étémentionné pour ces instal-
lations, est conforme aux renseignements qui ont étémisàla disposition
des experts, pour des navires semblables.
I8 ANNEX 2
EXPERTS' REPORT OF DECEMBER ~st, 1949
Replacement value :"Saumarez"
The experts have made an estimate of the cost of construction of
a destroyer of the Saumarez type, with the aid of the information placed
at their disposa1 by the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands
shipyards. This estimate has been checked in respect of wages, output,
organization and of the rise in prices in England, and thus a new estimate
on a British basis has been arrived at.
The "interest on the growing capital outlay" has not been taken into
account in this calculation, as its inclusion did not seem to be justifiable
in the present proposal. On the otlier hand, a sum in respect of insurance,
on a post-war basis, has been included.
The esperts appliecl the cost of building a completed destroyer to
a destroyer of the Saztmarez type ; they also made a new calculation on
a British basis. The smaller of the above two figures, which differ but
little one from the other, was taken, and a cost price of l739,470 on
a 1946 basis was arrived at.
In estimating the true replacement value, account was taken of the
fact tliat during the first year of a ship's service, the decrease in value
of the ship is counterbalanced by additions ancl alterations and, iltter
dia, by tlie extra cost of preparing the ship as a flotilla leader. After
the first year, a clepreciation begins to occur and grows steadily greater
witli tlic lapse of time. Taking tlie life of a sliip as fifteen years, the
deprcciation (luring the first tliree years would be respectiv0-1-2 ;
thiis, the replacement value of H.M.S. Saunzarez in 1946 must be
reckoned at /717,280.
Valztc of stores
\Irit1i the lielp of the blue prints of a former British destroyer of
tlic same class, the esperts made an approsimate calculation of the
damage sustained through the loss, damaging and unserviceability due
to sea-water, of tlie stores contained in tlie bows of tlie ship. Tliey
estimate this damage at £23,300.
Value of still serviceaO1equipment
The total value of £74,870 mentioned for equipment is in agreement
witli tlie data placed at the experts' disposa1 from similar ships. Ainsi que l'a déclaréle Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni, les instal-
lations dont il s'agit se trouvaient sur le navire depuis 1946 :on peut
donc présumer que, outre la partie de ces installations qui a étéendom-
magéepar l'explosion de la mine ou par l'eau de mer, le reste a subi
une grave détérioration, à raison du manque d'entretien ; par consé-
quent, une évaluation, pour lesdites installations, doit nécessairement
être un peu conjecturale. Si l'on tient compte de tous les risques, une
demande de jç 20.000 est à considérer comme raisonnable.
Ferraille
Si l'on tient compte des frais qu'entraînent nécessairement la récupé-
ration et le découpage, ainsi que le transport du matériel depuis Malte
jusqu'aux chantiers de démolition, le chiffre de &3.800 doit 6tre consi-
dérécomme raisonnable.
Indemltitécompe~cscltoirp eolrrle « Sazcmarez ))
Sur la base de ce qui a étéindiqui.. les experts sont arrivcs aux
chiffres suivants pour les dommages causés au Snzimarr: :
Valeur de remplacement . . . . . . 1C717.280
Matériel d'équipement . . . . . . . &. 23.300
740.580
Moins 20.000 augmentées de 4 3.800 . £ 23.800
Dommages causés au « Volage »
Les experts ont eu l'avantage d'avoir eu à diriger, en 1946, l'exé-
cution de réparations analogues sur un ancien contre-torpilleur britan-
nique. Il est vrai que, dans ce cas, il n'y avait eu à remplacer qu'une
petite partie de l'avant ;mais on a trouvé là une bonne base de compa-
raison. Pour arriver aux chiffres indiqués par eux, les experts ont dû
prendre en considération le fait que les réparations les plus importantes,
effectuées sur le Trolagr,ont esigb, pour le navire, un long séjourdans
les docks de 205 jours, ce qui a exercéune influence considérable sur
le coût total. Il a fallu tenir compte également du coût plus élevédes
transports de matériel, enfin du coût des essais, lorsque les réparations
furent terminées. De l'avis des experts, ces essais sont inseparablement
liés à des réparations aussi importantes.
Le coût total a ét6 6valuï par les experts ;L &64.300.
Lorsqu'il s'agit d'évaluer le materiel d'6quiyement perdu, ce qui a
étédit dans le cas du Sa~mrzrezretrouve ici son application. Prenant
en considération la perte de l'équipement anti-sous-marin, les experts
évaluent le montant i f)..jOO.
Keparations effectuks sur le Voluge . . L64.300
Matériel d'équipement et installations . £ 26.500 As it has been stated by the United Kingdom that the equipment
in question had been in the ship since 1946, it may be assumed that,
besides that part that was damaged by mine-explosion or by sea-
water, the rest has seriously deteriorated through lack of upkee;conse-
quently, an estimate of its value must be in the nature of speculation.
Taking al1 risks into consideration, a claim of ~20,ooo is considered
reasonable.
Scrap
Taking into consideration the necessary cost of salvaging and cutting
up, as well as the cost of transporting thematerial from hfalta to the
scrap plants, £3,800 may be taken as a reasonable figure.
Compensationfor "Saumarez"
In view of what has been stated, the experts have arrived at the
followingfigurefor damage to H.M.S. Saumarez :
Replacement value ........ £717,280
Stores ............ L 23,300
Less 20,000 + 3,800 ......
Damage "Volage"
The experts were in the fortunate position of having directed the
It is true that in the former case, only a small part of the bows had.
to be replaced ; but this afforded a good basis of comparison. In
arriving at their figures, the experts had to take account of the fact
that the more extensive repairs to H.M.S. Volagerequired a long period
of 205 days in dock ;this had considerable influence on the total cost.
The greater cost of transport of material had also to be considered,
and lastly the cost of the trials after the completion of repairs. In
the experts' opinion,these trial voyages are inseparably connected with
such extensive repairs.
The experts estimate the total of these costs at £64,300.
Stores
As regards the valuation of lost stores, what has been said in the
case of H.M.S. Saumarezholds good. Taking into consideration the loss
of anti-submarine equipment, this figure is estimated at £26,500.
Compe~zsationfor "Volage"
Repairs Volage. ......... £64,300
Stores and equipment ....... £26,500 TOTAL DES INDEMNITÉS :
&716.780
plus & 90.800
- ;807.580
Les experts désirent signaler que les chiffres indiqués par eux consti-
tuent une approximation, notamment en ce qui est de la valeur du
matériel d'équipementet des installations, et cela plus encore parce
qu'une partie importante des installations est de caractère secret et,
en outre, parce qu'il faudrait démonter et examiner ce qui reste des
installations avant de pouvoir en estimer exactement la valeur.
A la suite de leur enquête et de leurs calculs, et tenant compte de
leur expérience personnelle ainsi que des renseignements qui leur ont
étéfournis, les experts se sont convaincusque le montan&793.899,
demandé par le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni, peut êtreconsidéré
comme une évaluation juste et équitable du dommage subi.
Le présentrapport a étérédigéen anglais, en un seulexemplaire, au
Palais de la PaixàLa Haye, le premier décembre mil neuf cent qua-
rante-neuf.
(SigraéBERCK
(Signé)G. DE ROOY The experts would point out that their figures are an approximation,
especially in the case of the value of stores and equipment, and still
more as a considerable part of the equipment is of a secret nature, and
further tliat the portions of equipment that remain would have to be
clismantled and esamined before an exact estimate of their value were
possible.
During their enquiry and calculations, and as a result of their expe-
rience and of the information placecl before them, the experts have
become convinced that the claim of £793,890 submitted by the United
the damage sustained.y be taken as a fair and accurate estimate of
This Report was drawn up in English in one copy at the Peace Palace,
The Hague, this first day of December, one thousand nine hundred
and forty-nine.
(Signed)BERCK
(Signed) G. DE ROOY ANNEXE 3
QUESTIOXS POSÉES PAR LES ItlEMBRES DE LA COUR
ET REPOXSES DES EXPERTS (SÉAKCE DU 3 DÉCEMBRE 1949)
Présents : Mhl. Guerrero, Présidenten exercice, Alvarez, Hackworth,
Winiarski, ZoriciC, De Visscher, sir Arnold McNair, M. Klaestad,
Badawi Pacha, MM. Krylov, Read, Hsu Mo, Azevedo, M. Eter, luge
ad hoc; M. Hambro, Gregier de la Cour. Sont présentségalement:
Le contre-amiral J. B. Berck, de la Marine royale néerlandaise,
M. G. de Rooy, Directeur des constructions navales de la Marine
royale néerlandaise.
Le PRÉSIDENT. - La séance est ouverte. Nous avons prié MM. les
experts d'assister un moment à notre séance d'aujourd'hui pour leur
permettre -de donner à certains membres de la Cour quelques expli-
cations qu'ils désirent avoir sur le rapport présenté par les experts.
Vous avez sous les yeux les questions au sujet desquelles noscollègues
désirent avoir quelques explications. Je vous prierai de bien vouloir
répondre à la question posée par M. De Visscher :
hlessieurs les experts voudraient-ils expliquerla différenceentre
les deux modes d'évaluation respectivement visésaux paragraphes I
et 3 de la page I du rapport l?
Contre-amiral BERCK[traduction]. - Il a été procédé par deux
méthodes à l'évaluation du coût de la construction du contre-torpilleur
Saumarez.
En premier lieu, nous avons pris pour point de départ le coût effectif
d'un contre-torpilleur complet, d'un déplacement de 1.925 tonnes
standard, puis nous avons revisé le calcul pour le Saumarez, dont le
déplacement n'était que de 1.730 tonnes, prenant en considération les
différences afférentes aux salaires,à l'exécution du travail et au coût
des matières premieres ; nous sommes arrivés ainsi, pour la construc-
tion d'un nouveau navire en 1946, au chiffrede
751.750.
En second lieu, nous avons suivi la méthode qui est employée nor-
malement, lorsqu'il s'agit d'établir les plans d'un nouveau navire.
Nous avons calculé le coût de construction de la coque du navire,
des machines, de l'équipement électrique, de l'armement, des torpilles
et de l'équipement spécial, le tout pour l'année 1946, sur une base
britannique. Ceci a donnépour résultat un nouveau chiffre de 737.470.
C'est ce dernier chiffre, obtenu de la fason la plus précise, qui a
Eté insérC dans notre rapport ; le premier chiffre n'a servi que de
contrôle.
I,e ~>R~~SIDEXT.- 31. De Visscher, êtes-vous satisfait de la réponse ?
JI. DE VISSCHER. -- Oui, JI. le I'r&sident.
1-e PI~~SII~EXT -. AI. l'expert, voulez-vous répondre maintenant
aux questioi~s posées par SI. Azevedo ?
' Voir p.258, Fr. r et 3.
21 ANNEX 3
QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS OFTHE COURT AND REPLIES
OF THE EXPERTS (MEETING OF DECEMBER 3rd, 1949)
Present: Acting-President Guerrero, Judges Alvarez, Hackworth,
Winiarski, ZoriCiC,De Visscher, Sir Arnold McNair, Klaestad, Badawi
Pasha, Krylov, Read, Hsu Mo, Azevedo, M. Eter, Judge ad hoc ; Regis-
trar Hambro. Also present as Experts. Rear-Admiral J. B. Berck, of
the Royal Netherlands Navy, Mr. G. de Rooy, Director of Naval Con-
struction of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
The PRESIDENT[translatio~].-The Court is now sitting. Ive have
asked the experts to come for a few moments to to-day's sitting, to
enable them to supply certain members of the Court with esplanations
that they would like to have on the Experts' Report.
You have before you the questions on which Our colleagues would
like to have esplanations. Would the Experts kindly reply to Judge
De Visscher's question :
Would the experts explain the differencebetween the two methods
of calculation referred to respectively in paragraphs I and 3 of
page I of the Report l ?
Rear-Admiral BERCK.-T~~ evaluation of the construction costs of
the destroyer Saumarez was approached by two ways :
In the first instance, we started from the actual costs ofa completed
destroyer of 1,925 tons standard displacement, revised the calculation
for the Saumarez of 1,730 tons, taking into account differences in labour
wages, labour performance and costs of materials, and arrived at a cost
for new construction in 1946 of £751,750.
In the second place, we followed the normal proceedings in planning
a new ship. We calculated the building costs of shipbuilding, engin-
eering, electrical engineering, armament, torpedoes and special equip-
ment, al1 on a 1946 British basis. The result was a new construction
figure of £737,470.
This last figure, having &en obtained in the most accurate way,
was inserted in our report, the first figure serving only as a control.
The PRESIDENT[trnltslatiolzj.-1s M. De Visscher satisfied ?
M. DE VISSCHER[trn%sZation].-Yes, Mr. President.
The PRESIDENT [t~a~tslatio~z].-\~~illthe Expert now reply to Juclge
Azevedo's question ?
See p. 258.paras.I and 3.
21262 DÉTROITDE CORFOU(RÉPAR-4~10~~) - QUESTIONSET RÉPONSES
I. Quel est le taus de dépréciationprogressive d'un contre-
torpilleur, pendant chaque année de son existence, estimée à
quinze ans ?
Contre-amiral BERCK[traductio~]. - I. La dépréciationd'un contre-
torpilleur est due en premier lieu à l'usure normale du navire. En
second lieu, le matériel de guerre installé sur le navire devient à la
longue plus ou moins disuet, rnais cela dépend des développements
en matière d'équipement nouveau.
Cette derni6re influence se fait surtout sentir au cours de la seconde
période de cinq ans, le contre-torpilleur, au cours des cinq dernières
années de son existence, ne pouvant plus êtreconsidéré commeun
navire de première ligne, bien qu'il soit encore utilisable à bien des
fins, en temps de guerre.
Selon notre expérience, la dépréciation annuelledoit être calculée
comme il suit : première année, 0% ; 2me année, 1% ; 3me année,
2% ; 4mc année, 3% ; 5me année, 4% ; de la 6me à la Iomeannée,
7% ; de la IIme à la Igme année, IO%, ce qui laisse,à la fin des quinze
ans, une valeur résiduellede 5%. Ceci représente plus que la valeur
effective de ferraille, le navire étant encore utilisable à des fins parti-
culières, telles que l'entraînement, etc.
2. Quel a étéle taux d'augmentation du coût de construction
d'un contre-torpilleur, en 1946 et en 1949, par rapport au prix de
revient pour l'année 1943 ?
2. L'accroissement du coût des constructions navales en Angleterre,
en 1946, par comparaison avec 1943, est d'environ 30%. A cet égard,
les renseignements dont nous disposons concordent avec les indications
qui figurent dans I'affidavit de M. Powell. Je regrette que nous n'ayons
pas eu le temps de recueillir les renseignements nécessairespour 1949.
J'estimerais cependant grossomodole chiffre entre 50 et 60% pour les
bâtiments de guerre ; pour des navires de commerce, il serait de 43%.
Le PRÉSIDENT . 31.le juge Azevedo, êtes-voussatisfait dela réponse
qui vient de vous êtrefournie ?
M. AZEVEDO . Oui, M. le Président.
Le PRÉSIDENT . Il y a maintenant les quatre questions posées
par M. le juge EEer.
M.EEER,juge ad hoc. - Il a étérépondu à mes questions 2 et 3 par
les explications données à M.De Visscher et à M. Azevedo. Il ne reste
9 répondre qu'aux questions I et 4.
I. Il est dità la page 1, deuxième alinéa' :((D'un autre côté,
on a fait figurer une somme couvrant les assurances, calculéesur
une base d'après guerre. ))
a) Les experts peuvent-ils dire quelle est cette somme ?
b) J'attire l'attention des experts sur l'affidavit de M. Powell,
dans lequel deux chiffres sont indiqués :
au paragraphe 5 - 21.359 liv. ster.
au paragraphe 7 - 2.000 liv. ster.
1 Voir p. 258, par.2.
22 I. What is the progressive rate of depreciation of a destroyer,
during each year of its existence, which is estimated at fifteen
years ?
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-I. The depreciation value of a destroyer is
due, in the first place, to the normal Wear and tear of the ship. In
the second place, the installed war equipment becomes in the long
run more or less obsolete, depending on the development of new
equipment.
This last influence becomes most marked in the second five years,
as in the last five years the destroyer cannot any longer be considered
as a first line ship, although it is stillsable for many war purposes.
In Our experience, the yearly depreciation must be fixed as follows :
First year, 0% ; second year, 1% ; third year, 2% ; fourth year, 3% ;
fifth year, 4% ; sixth to tenth year, 7% ; eleventh to fifteenth year,
IO%, leaving at the end of fifteen years a residual value of 5Yo. This
is more than the actual scrap value, as the ship is still usable for special
purposes, training, etc.
z. Li'liat was the rate of increase in the cost of building a
destroyer in 1946 and in 1949, as compared with its cost in 1943?
z. The increased cost of building in England in 1946, as compared
with 1943, is about 30%. Our own information tallies in this respect
with the data given in Mr. Powell's affidavit. 1 regret we have not
had time to obtain the necessary data for 1949. 1 would, however,
roughly estimate it at 50 to 60% for warships. For merchant ships it
would be 43%.
The PRESIDENT[tra.nslatio~t].-1s Judge Azevedo satisfied with the
reply ?
Judge AZEVEDO[franslatiolz].-Yes.
The PRESIDENT [tralzslatio~~].-There are now the four questions'
asked by Judge EEer.
Judge EEER [translation].-An answer was given to my questions 2
and 3 in the explanations furnished to Judges De Visscher and Azevedo.
Only questions I and 4 remain to be answered.
I. On page 1, paragraph 2 1, of the Iieport, it is said: "On
the other hand, a sux~in respect of insurance, on a post-war basis,
has been included."
(a) Ca11the experts mention this sum ?
(b) 1 would draw the experts' attention to Mr. Powell's affidavit,
in which two figures are given :
, in paragraph 5 - £21,355).
in paragraph 7 - £ 2,000.
1 See p.258, para. 2. Il me semble que l'on peut expliquer la différence de la façon
suivante.: au paragraphe 5, le chiffre couvre deux catégories de
risques, les risques du constructeur et les risques de guerre, tandis
qu'au paragraphe 7 le montant couvre seulement les risques du
constructeur.
Mon interprétation est-elle exacte ?
Contre-amiral BERCK[traduction]. - I a) Comme le montant de
l'assurance couvrant les risques du constructeur est fixé à la Bourse
de Londres, nous avons fait -entrer dans nos calculs le mêmechiffre
que celui de M. Powell, savoir £ 2.000.
b) Ainsi que M. le juge EEer le fait justement remarquer, le chiffre
le plus élevé,qui figure dans l'affidavit deM. Powell, couvre également
les risques additionnels du temps de guerre.
4. A la page 2 l,sous le titre« Valeur des installations encore
utilisables))il est dit: « Le montant total de ;C7;4.870, qui a été
mentionné pour ces installations, est conforme aux renseignements
qui ont été mis à la disposition des experts, pour des navires
semblables. ))
Les experts voudraient-ils dire :
a) Où ce montant de L 74.870 a étémentionné ?
b) Si ce montant représente la valeur du matériel encore utilisable,
pourquoi les experts considèrent comme raisonnable la somme
de L 20.000 indiquée au paragraphe 13 des Observations
britanniques ?
c) Pourquoi il est dit dans le rapport qu'une demande de 20.000
est raisonnable, alors qu'il ne s'agit pas d'une demande mais,
au contraire, d'une réduction de la demande britannique ?
Contre-amiral BERCK[traduction!. - En ce qui est de la question
no 4, sir Frank Soskice, lors de l'audience du jeudi 17 novembre, a
indiqué que les différents départements de l'Amirauté avaient dressé
des listes des installations susceptiblesêtreéventuellement ré-utilisées.
La valeur attribuée à ces installationsa l'état neufétait de 74.870.
Pour les contre-torpilleurs de même classe,actuellement en service
dans la Marine royale néerlandaise, nous avons procédé à la même
évaluation, et nous avons pu constater que le chiffre mentionné par
le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni, pour les installations à l'état de
neuf, était acceptable.
Ainsi que nous l'avons signalé dans notre rapport, la fixation de la
valeur au jour actuel est de caractère conjectural.
Les installations sont restées sur le navire pendant trois ans sans
avoir étéentretenues comme il convient, sous le climat semi-tropical
de Malte, et sous l'influence de l'air salin. faut s'attendreà une dété-
rioration et à une corrosion. Avant de pouvoir êtreutilisé à nouveau,
chaque instrument devra être pris à part, nettoyé et vérifié,et les
parties corrode'esseront à remplacer. Si l'on tient compte de la main-
d'Œuvreet des frais de transport, une réduction de £20.000 est équitable
et, de l'avis des experts, elle pèche plutôt par excès.
l Voir p.2j8. CORFU CHAXSEL (COMPENSATION) - QUESTIONSAND REPLIES 263
It seems to me that the difference may be explained as
follows: in paragraph 5, the figure covers two classes of risks,
the builder's and the King's Enemy risks ; whereas the amount
in paragraph 7 only covers the builder's risks.
Am 1 right ?
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-I (a) -4s the insurance for builder's risk is
fixed at the London Exchange, we put into Our calculation the same
figure as Mr. Powell, namely, ,C;Z,OOO.
(b) As His Excellency Judge ECer rightly points out, the higher
figure in Mr. Powell's affidavit also covers the additional risks in
war-time.
4. On page zl, under "Value of still serviceable equipment", the
Report says: "The total value of £74,870 mentioned for equipment
is in agreement with thedata placed at the experts' disposa1 from
similar ships."
Could the experts say :
(a) Where this figure of £74,870 has been mentioned ?
(b)why do the experts consider reasonable the sum of ~20,000,equipment,
mentioned in paragraph 13 of the United Kingdom Observa-
tions ?
(c) CVhyisit said in the Report that a claim of,620,000is reasonable,
when it is not a claim but, on the contrary, a reduction of the
United Kingdom claim ?
Rear-Admiral B~~c~.-Regarding question 4, at the public Sitting
of this Court held on Thursday, November 17th, Sir Frank Soskice
lists of equipment suited for possible re-use.eThe estimated value of
this equipment as new, was £74,870.
For destroyers of the same class now in service in the Royal Nether-
lands Navy, we made the same valuation and found that the figure
mentioned by the United Kingdom Government for equipment as new,
was acceptable.
As we pointed out in our report, the assessment of the present day
value is of a speculative nature.
The equipment had been in the ship for three years without proper
maintenance, in the sub-tropical climate of Malta, and under the
influence of salty air. Deterioration and corrosion is to be expected.
Before being used again, each instrument has to be taken apart, cleaned
and checked, and corroded parts will have to be replaced. Taking into
account labour and transportation costs, a reduction of &o,ooo is fair
and, in the opinion of the experts, on the high side.
l See p. 258.264 DÉTROIT DE CORFOU (R~.PAR.%TIONS) - QUESTIONS ET RÉPONSES
En ce qui est de la question 4 c), nous regrettons que, par suite de
la hâte que nous avons apportée à terminer notre rapport, nous avons
indiquécomme une demande le chiffre de 20.000. Ainsi que M.le juge
EEer l'indique avec raison, il s'agit non d'une demande, mais d'une
réduction de la demande totale.
Le PRÉSIDENT . M. EEer, êtes-voussatisfait ?
31. ECEK,juge ad Izoc. - Oui, M. le Président.
Le PRÉSIDENT. - NOUSavons maintenant la question posée par
M. II'iniarski.
Dans le rapport du Ier décembre, paragraphe 2 l,les experts
disent qu'«on n'a pas fait entrer dans le calcul«l'intérêstur l'inves-
«tissement croissant decapital »,l'inclusion decefacteurnesemblant
pas pouvoir se justifier dans la présente proposition ».
a) Pourquoi ?
b) Quelles sont, à votre avis, les raisons pour lesquelles ce facteur
a étéintroduit dans le calcul de M. Powell ?
Contre-amiral BERCK[traduction,]. - Au sujet de la question posée
par M. le juge Winiarski, je dois indiquer que le constructeur d'un
navire de guerre est payé, non pas lors de la livraison du navire, mais
au fur et à mesure de la constriiction, par versements partiels. Un
premier versement est généralement effectué aprh la signature du
contrat ; d'autres versements suivent quand les parties principales,
telles que la coque, les machines principales, etc., sont terminées. Théo-
riquement, il paraît équitable d'ajouter au coût de la construction
lJint6rCt sur I'investicsement croissant de capital.
Selon notre expérience, toutefois, cet intértt n'est jamais ajouté aux
frais de constrilction.
Dans l'affidavit de M. Powell, I'intértt sur l'investissement croissant
de capital est mentionne, mais il n'est pas compris dans la demande
finale.
Nous ne sommes pas en mesure de juger pour quels motifs ce montant
a étémentionné dans l'affidavit de M. I'owell.
Le PKÉSIDENT . M. Winiarski, etes-vous satisfait ?
M. WINI?\RSKI. - Oui, M. le Président.
Le PRÉSIL)I.:NT -. D'autres membres de la Cour dcsirent-ils poser des
questions aus experts ?
M. ZORICIC . Si j'ai bien compris, en répondant i la question de
31. De Visscher, le contre-amirai Berck a dit qu'on ftait arrivé à la
somme de l 737.470, tandis que dans le rapport figure la sornme de
5 73(1.470.Il faudrait eclaircir ce point afin que le compte rendu st6no-
graphique ne soit pas en contradiction avec le rapport.
contre-amiral IJERCIC [tradztciio~i. En fait, le montant de l737.470
constitue le nouveau chiffre pour le coût de la construction. Il y aurait
lieu d'y ajouter les frais d'assurance de z.0~0, et nous avons conservé
à part le noiiveau chiffre correspondant au coût de la construction.
Le PRÉSIDENT . Y a-t-il d'autres questions i poser aux esperts ?
1 Voir p. zjS,par. 2.
21 Regarding question 4 (c)we regret that in the haste of finishing the
report, the jC20,ooowas put down as a claim. As Judge EEer rightly
points out, it is not aaim,but a reduction of the total claim.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-1s Judge mer satisfied?
Judge EEER[tramlation].-Yes, Mr. President.
The PRESIDENT[translation].-We have now Judge Winiarski's
question.
In their Report of December ~st, parva h zl, the expertsSay
that "The 'interest on the growing capitafoutlay' has not been
taken into account in this calculation, asits inclusion did not seem
to be justifiable in thepresent proposai."
(a) W~Y ?
(b) What, in our opinion, were the reasons for including it in
Mr. ~oweg's calculation ?
Rear-Admiral BERCK.-Regarding the question of Judge Winiarski,
the builder of a warship is not paid on delivery of the ship, but during
the time of construction, in instaiments. A first instalment is as a
rule made after the signing of the contract ; further payments when
rincipal parts, for instance, hull, main machine,etc., are completed.
heoretically, it seems right to add to the buil ing costs the interest
on the growing capital outlay.
In Ourexperience,however.this interest is never added to the building
costs.
In Mr. Powell's affidavit, the interest on growing capital outlayis
mentioned, but not includedin the finalclaim.
We are not able to judge the reasons for including thk amount in
Mr. Powell's &davit.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-1s Judge Winiarski satisfied?
Judge WINIARSK[Itranslation].-Yes, Mr. President.
.The PRESIDENT [translation].-DO other members of the Court.wish
to put questions to the experts?
Judge ZoRIE16[trajaslation].-If 1 understood rightly, ~ear-~dmiral
Berck, in reply to Judge De Visscher's question, said that a sum
of £737,470 was reached, whereasthe amount in the report is £739,470.
This point must be clearedup in order that the verbatirn record should
not contradict the Report.
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-ASa matter of fact, the figure of L737,470
is the new construction figure. There must be added the insurance
costs of ,Clz,ooo,nd we kept the new construction figure clear of that.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-Are there any further question?
lSee p. 258,para.2.
24 M. ECER,juge ad hoc. - Je voudrais demander, si les experts ont
examiné toute la spécification des dommages, s'ils peuvent dire que
tous les dommages subis par le Volage et énumérés dans le document
britannique sont la conséquence directe de l'explosion ?
Contre-amiral BERCK[tradztction]. - NOUSavons examiné les détails
fournis par le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni au sujet des avaries
causéesau Volage, et nous devons les considérer comme une consé-
quence directe de l'explosion de la mine.
Le PRÉSIDENT -. Messieurs les experts, il me resteà vous remercier
des explications que vous nous avez données et qui serviront à éclairer
la Cour pour fixer la somme des réparations.
Contre-amiral BERCK[traduction]. - Les experts désirent remercier
la Cour de leur avoir fourni l'occasion d'apporter leur modeste partici-
pation aux travaux de la Cour.
La séance est levée à II heures. Judge ECER [translation].-If the experts have examined al1 the
details of the damage, 1 should like to ask them whether they can say
that al1 the damage to the Volage mentioned in the United Kingdom
document is the direct consequence of the explosion.
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-~~'~have seen the details as given by the
United Kingdom Government about the damage to the Tlolage,and we
must consider this as a direct consequence of the mine explosion.
The PRESIDENT [translation].-Itremains for me to thank the experts
for the explanations they have given us ; their replies will be useful to
the Court in fising the amount of the reparations.
Rear-Admira1 BERCK.-T~~ experts would like to thank the Court
for having given them the opportunity of having participated in a small
way in the Court's work.
The Court rose at II a.m.
Assessment of the amount of compensation due from the People's Republic of Albania to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (including the text of the declaration of the Judge Krylov)
Judgment of 15 December 1949