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C. Alleged damage to port equipment

Agent: Here you are, at last, Captain.
Captain: Come in, Gentlemen, and sit down please.
Agent: This is Mr Short, who is a surveyor of the Messrs.
Green Stevedoring Company.
Captain: How do you do, Mr Short? I've been waiting for you.
Will you have a cup of coffee?
Surveyor:How do you do, Captain? Thank you for a nice cup
of coffee.
Captain: I believe it won't take us much time to settle
that little problem in an amicable way. Will you
kindly sign this paper that you have no claim
against us for any damage?
Surveyor:Well, Captain, if you are willing to reimburse
the substantial damage caused to our shore crane
properly through your gross negligence, then,
certainly, ...
Captain: Excuse my interrupting you Mr Short, but there
has been no negligence of any kind on our part,
and the damage caused, if any, is far from being
a substantial one. Besides, I'd say, it was an
unusually difficult berthing. There was a strong
on-shore wind, the basin was covered with floating
ice and there was a relatively strong current of
flow from the river.
Surveyor:Then, you must have also read Local Regulations
which require tug assistance while mooring. The
pilot said that you refused to wait for the tug
to render assistance.
Captain: I could not wait for the tug at tha time. The one
assigned to us remained caught in the ice. Neither
could we drop our anchors as the above Regulations
prohibit using them in mooring to a berth or while