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Fri 16 Mar 2018 11:37

OW Bunker liquidating trust granted permission to arrest ship


US trust is claiming $870k for the alleged non-payment of bunker fuel.

OW Bunker member of staff aboard a vessel.
Image: OW Bunker
The O.W. Bunker USA Inc. Liquidating Trust (OW-US Trust) has been granted permission by a court in Louisiana, US, to arrest the bulk carrier M/V Bridgegate.

According to court documents seen by Bunker Index, the plaintiff is claiming $870,385.77 for the alleged non-payment of bunker fuel.

The now-defunct firm O.W. Bunker USA Inc (OW-US), which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2014, is said to have sold and supplied marine fuel to the Bridgegate at the port of Balboa, Panama, on October 17, 2014.

OW-US Trust says an invoice dated October 17, 2014, in the amount of $725,586.53 with due date November 15, 2014, was issued to Hudson Shipping Lines, Inc., c/o Maritime Brokers and Consultants Inc. Both companies are owned by SeaTrade Transport International Inc. (STI).

"Despite amicable demand, to date, neither the M/V Bridgegate, its owners, charterers, nor Hudson Shipping Lines, Inc. has satisfied the invoice for the supply of bunkers dated October 17, 2014," OW-US Trust notes in its complaint to the US District Court Eastern District of Louisiana.

According to an invoice document presented to the court, OW-US supplied 1,325.047 metric tonnes of 380 centistoke (cSt) fuel oil, valued at $710,225.19 (or $536 per tonne). Other fees include barging ($9,645.12), surcharge ($750), pollution fee ($4,287.47), pipeline fee ($428.75) and overtime ($250.00).

In addition to the invoice value, OW-US Trust is also claiming fees, costs and interest of $144,799.24, bringing the total amount to $870,385.77 as of March 13, 2018.

The plaintiff notes that interest, which continues to accumulate, has been calculated at a rate of 6 percent, pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Supplemental Rules for Admiralty or Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture actions.

Permission to seize the Singapore-flagged bulk carrier was granted on March 13.

According to vessel-tracking data, the M/V Bridgegate arrived at New Orleans in the early hours of March 15, having departed from the Russian port of Murmansk in mid-February.

Kelly Stapleton of Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC is acting as the liquidating trustee for OW-US Trust.

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