Royal Indemnity Co. v. Deep Sea International

OPINION AND ORDER

KIMBA M. WOOD, District Judge:

This lawsuit arises from the sinking of the R/V ALOHA (“Aloha”), a research vessel owned by Defendant Deep Sea International (“Deep Sea”). On the morning of February 7, 2002, the Aloha sank in the Yucatán Channel, about 100 miles east of Cancún, Mexico. Deep Sea filed a claim with Plaintiff Royal Indemnity Company (“Royal”), 1 the issuer of a policy insuring the Aloha and the scientific equipment on board. Royal then brought this action seeking declaratory judgments that (1) Deep Sea’s insurance policy was void from the outset because Deep Sea…