U.S. Supplier NuStar Secures Arrest Order for Another Ship in OW Bunker Fallout

Nustar is allegedly owed almost $2.46 million for roughly 3,600 metric tons of fuel

U.S. marine fuel supplier NuStar Energy Services Inc. has arrested a Nigerian liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, one more in a line of ships the company has seized due to unpaid OW Bunker-related bunker bills, reports Tradewinds.

The company, who was one of the largest creditors of OW Bunker's U.S. units, reportedly secured an order from a U.S. federal court in Louisiana to arrest the LNG Finima, which is owned by Bonny Gas Transport, a subsidiary of Nigeria LNG.

Currently, the ship is believed to be enroute to the Gulf of Mexico.

Nustar is allegedly owed almost $2.46 million for roughly 3,600 metric tons of fuel delivered late in October, which the company said in court documents that the vessel is now directly responsible for.

"By signing and stamping the marine-fuel delivery notes, the vessel's officers and representatives acted on behalf of the vessel and her owner and/or operator to procure bunkers, and thereby accepted the bunkers on behalf of, inter alia, the vessel," said documents filed by Louisiana law firm Kean Miller.

The company had previously secured arrest orders for ships belonging to both Norway's Avance Gas Holding Ltd. and Hapag-Lloyd, in addition to having filed a lawsuit to arrest a containership belonging to Germany's Reederei Gebr. Winter GmbH & Co. KG.

Both Avance Gas and Hapag-Lloyd have since said that their vessels are no longer under threat of arrest. 

Other companies around the world have also made moves to arrest ships on OW-related payments, including Singapore's Hin Leong Trading and Belgium's Wiljo.