The bankruptcy of now-defunct operator Medmar continues to cause headaches for shipowners, with two bulkers arrested in India by bunker suppliers over the past two weeks.
The pair were previously on time charters to the Athens-based outfit, which bought fuel for both ships in mid-2019 but never settled the outstanding bills before it collapsed in late September.
Singaporean bunker supplier Sing Fuels arrested the Eagle Bulk Shipping-owned ultramax New London Eagle (built 2015) at Dahej port on Monday, according to an order filed by the High Court of Gujarat at Ahmedabad.
The lien on its bunkers dates back to July 2019, when the vessel loaded fuel worth $466,635 at the Port of Los Angeles while on charter to Medmar.
The vessel’s owners have since negotiated an out-of-court settlement with Sing Fuels, which led to the ship being released on Wednesday.
In September last year, Eagle Bulk filed a claim in Louisiana for $131,400 in unpaid hire and interest, owed by Medmar for its charter of the New London Eagle.
Eagle Bulk withdrew the case on 19 September, citing a payment by the operator, just days before Medmar closed its doors, as TradeWinds has reported.
Other arrest in India
Last week, a supramax owned by Monaco-based Shamrock Maritime was arrested briefly in India by Cockett Marine Oil (US) for an unpaid bunker invoice.
The outstanding $327,128 bill dates back to August 2019, when the ship was on charter to Medmar.
The 57,900-dwt St Pinot (built 2013), which trades in the CTM Supramax pool, was arrested at Deendayal port in Kandla on 6 January.
The bulker was released on Monday after its owner paid the outstanding fuel bill plus interest and court costs, which totalled $363,400, according to court documents.
TradeWinds has learned that Sing Fuels is chasing five unpaid bunker bills it claims are owed by Medmar, but has discounted its claim from $537,000 down to $397,000 in total.
Cockett Marine Oil (US) has claimed it is owed $2.4m by the collapsed operator, and is pursing its case in the US through the Maryland courts, as TradeWinds has reported.
Fuel supplier Dan-Bunkering and harbour towage contractor Moran Towing are also suing Medmar jointly in Maryland, claiming to be owed $1.3m and $40,000, respectively.
Medmar appears not to have responded to the lawsuit and on 4 December the Maryland court issued a summons, giving the defunct company 21 days to respond to the plaintiffs' complaint.
No response has been filed with the court at the time of writing and Medmar appears to be unrepresented in the dispute.
TradeWinds contacted Eagle Bulk and Shamrock Maritime for comment but received no response.
This article has been updated to reflect the release of the New London Eagle.
