Seawolf Tankers has dropped its lawsuit against a Ridgebury Tankers-connected company in a dispute over an ill-fated VLCC voyage earlier this year.

The pool operator filed for voluntary dismissal on Wednesday, ending one of the many, worldwide legal actions over the 305,307-dwt Stribog's (built 2000) journey from the Caribbean to China under charter to Laurel Shipping.

Voluntary dismissal implies, but does not necessarily mean, the parties settled.

Seawolf's attorney, James Power of Holland & Knight, did not respond to a request for comment from TradeWinds.

In mid-August, Seawolf sued Ridgebury Kilo, the Stribog's former registered owner, for $25.6m accusing the company of failing to provide a seaworthy ship when engine issues caused it to stop 11 times during its 17 January trip. It did not arrive in China until 24 April.

Then, the Stribog was named the Ridgebury Progress. Over the summer, it was sold to a Chinese buyer alongside the 306,307-dwt sistership Ridgebury Purpose (built 2000) for $24m each.

In the lawsuit, filed in US federal court for the Southern District of New York, Seawolf sought to garnish the accounts of various companies connected to the two ships, holding funds from the sale to cover their claims.

It was one of many legal actions in the dispute, with a lawsuit filed in the United Arab Emirates, arbitration in London and a request in Connecticut federal court to compel discovery so it could support those efforts and one potentially in the Marshall Islands.

It argued time was of the essence, as the Ridgebury Purpose's closing was imminent, and once payment was made, the companies would be dissolved leaving no way for Seawolf to recoup its losses.

Ridgebury Kilo argued that the dispute was simply about whether one company's vessel can be arrested to secure claims against another within the same group.

It said the Ridgebury Purpose sale closed in August.

Seawolf also sued Connecticut's Laurel Shipping, a subsidiary of Freepoint Commodities, for $12.8m in unpaid charter hire. Laurel countersued, alleging it was owed as much as $19.7m due to the Stribog's delays.

Laurel also filed its own lawsuit against Ridgebury Kilo seeking $29m, making similar claims about the Stribog's seaworthiness.

Those lawsuits remain active.