A second livestock carrier managed by China’s Accord Ship Management has been arrested, this time in southeast Australia by the Singapore arm of Dan-Bunkering.
Court records indicate that the 11,670-gt Yangtze Fortune (built 2005) was arrested at an anchorage off Portland, Victoria, over a bunker bill dispute.
Australian livestock exporter UMMS Projects & Livestock and produce exporter Australian Global Exports have filed caveats against the lifting of the arrest.
The Soar Harmony Shipping-owned Yangtze Fortune and the identical Yangtze Harmony (built 2004) are the only ships that Accord manages, according to the S&P Global International Ships Register.
Both are now under arrest.
The Yangtze Harmony was arrested in Singapore on 25 October by POSH Projects, the operator of a tug that towed it there from the eastern Australian port of Brisbane. POSH is seeking to recoup $1.8m it claims is still outstanding on the bill.
Glander International Bunkering subsequently filed a $200,000 claim against the Yangtze Harmony.
Both ships were converted from container vessels in 2017 by Sinomarine Livestock Carriers (SLC), a joint venture between Sinotrans and CSC, and used to launch an export trade of live cows from Australia to China.
TradeWinds was unable to ascertain the relationship between SLC and Soar Harmony Shipping, although court records indicate that, at least in the case of the bunkers supplied by Glander to the Yangtze Harmony, SLC was acting “as agents” on behalf of the ship’s owner.
Both ships can carry either 5,000 cattle or 18,000 sheep.
