Americas News
Court Rules for Cockett Marine in Unpaid Bunker Dispute
Panama's highest court has issued a ruling favourable to Cockett Marine Oil, which is trying to stop the sale of a vessel by an owner that the fuel supplier has a claim against, industry news site Tradewinds reports.
The Supreme Court ruling, a rejection of an earlier marine tribunal's decision, means that Tribute Shipholding can be prevented from selling the 12,300 deadweight tonne (dwt) chemical tanker ASL Tribute.
Cockett sued Tribute Shipholding in 2012, saying that bunkers delivered in Congo, Argentina, and South Africa were never paid for.
The amount of the claim was not disclosed.
Cockett argued that the ship, which is registered in Panama, should not be permitted to be sold, or to change flags, because it is the shipowner's only vessel and the only asset Cockett could have seized to satisfy its claims.
The lower court judge had ruled against Cockett, arguing that the ship did not fall under its jurisdiction since it was not physically present in the company.
The new Supreme Court decision found that the ship's Panama registration is enough to give the court system authority over it.
"The tribunal does not need the additional step of carrying out an arrest to ascribe competency," the high court ruled.
Lawyers are increasingly getting court injunctions freezing sales of Panama-flagged vessels as a way of pursuing claims, Tradewinds reports in a separate story.
