Americas News
Canadian Exporter Files For Protection Against OW Bunker-Related Ship Arrests
Canada-based potash company Canpotex has filed a lawsuit to prevent three of its chartered-in bulk carriers from being arrested for $1.18 million in unpaid OW Bunker-related bunker bills, Tradewinds reports.
The bunkers had reportedly been delivered by Chevron Marine Products to the 56,100-dwt Global Phoenix owned by Sanzo Enterprise, the 34,300-dwt CMB Giulia owned by Bocimar, and the 55,500-dwt Aston Trader II owned by Nisshin Shipping.
According to legal representatives, Canpotex is at risk of having multiple parties issue claims for the same fuel bills, with the company having offered to deposit the full $1.18 million into an account until the case is solved.
Canpotex's case is now one of over a dozen similar cases up in front of New York District Judge Valerie Caproni, who has yet to decide whether the district has the authority to block arrests of ships not in the city or expected to call there.
The company has already had to deal with the arrest of another of its vessels, the 56,750-dwt Kavo Platanos, last month after Aegean Marine Petroleum Network was reported to have filed a suit for $463,000 worth of unpaid fuel.
The ship was eventually released after Canpotex agreed to deposit $494,000 with the court.
In December, Christian Levin, founder of Hellerup-based XO Shipping warned that following the November collapse of OW Bunker, double payment for bunkers will happen in some cases.
