( 1 ) IN pursuance of a contract of affreightment dated 23rd december 1999 for a consignment of RDB palmolein Cargo, the respondent executed four letters of indemnity of 13th April 2000. Those letters were purported to have been issued by the Company jointly and severally with the State Bank of Saurashtra. For the purposes of the present proceedings, reliance has been placed by both the Counsel on the indemnity bearing No. 1308. The provisions of the indemnity contained the following request to the petitioner: "we hereby request you to order the vessel to proceed to Mangalore and give delivery of the said cargo at the port of Mangalore to delivery to the order of Lanyard Foods Ltd. No. 1119-A, Kiadb Industrial Area, Balkanpadi, mangalore 975011, India without production of the original Bills of Lading. " the request contained in the other three letters of indemnity (bearing Nos. 1065, 1066 and 1309) was similar, save and except that the Ports of delivery were referred to therein as Chennai and Karwar. Each of the documents of indemnity executed by the respondent indemnified the petitioner in the following terms: " 1. To indemnify you, your servants and agents