Asia/Pacific News
Aframax Tanker on the Run After Failed Arrest in Sri Lanka
An Aframax tanker is being sought by Sri Lankan authorities after escaping arrest in the country.
Officials at the Port of Galle attempted to arrest the Kutch Bay earlier this month on the authority of the High Court of Sri Lanka, but were not able to board it. The ship left Sri Lankan waters before the officials were able to carry out the arrest, Captain Nirmal Silva, harbour master at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, told Ship & Bunker Tuesday.
The ship had previously been reported as sold for scrapping in August by shipping intelligence service VesselsValue.
Media reports claiming the vessel had been chartered by troubled oil trading firm GP Global are understood to be incorrect, according to industry sources.
It is unclear where the vessel will be able to operate, having evaded the Sri Lankan authorities.
"It seems the vessel can't go too far -- I don't think it can be broken, for example, before unloading," a legal source told Ship & Bunker Tuesday.
