Bankrupt vessel stranded in Chennai

A South Korean-owned and Panamanian-flagged vessel unloading palm oil at the Port of Chennai has been stranded by bankruptcy, Indian news outlets reported Wednesday.

   The Golden Freesia arrived in Chennai in mid-December to discharge its cargo but then could not leave because the ship's owners had failed to pay port, pilotage and bunker fees of a few thousand dollars. The ship's agent, James Mackintosh & Co., demanded the port and pilotage charges, but the ship's owners, First Shipping, declared they had no funds to clear their dues, according to a story in the Economic Times.

   Since then the vessel, with 25 crewmembers aboard, has been stranded in waters just outside the harbor, but within the Chennai Port Trust's jurisdiction.

   The International Transport Workers' Federation has been negotiating with the Korean owners to ensure that the crew, which are mostly from Burma but include South Koreans, are paid their wages and given air tickets to fly back home.

Source: American Shipper