The High Court of India at Mumbai has ordered the arrest of an Eletson Gas mid-sized LPG carrier over a bunkerer's claim for unpaid fuel.
The trade creditor arrest follows a long series of arrests of Eletson Corp tankers by financial creditors.
It also marks a spillover of the challenges of tanker owner Eletson Corp to Eletson Gas, a separate company with a different ownership structure including US investment giant Blackstone.
The 35,500-cbm Anafi (built 2009) was arrested on 28 May at Mumbai's Nhava Sheva anchorage by Axiom Global Oil and Gas Trading, a Dubai-based company.
Indian court documents show that Axiom's $374,000 is a result of unpaid trade debt from one of a series of crude tankers that Chinese lessors have arrested or repossessed from the Greek owner.
The claim for unpaid bunkers plus interests legal costs derives from fueling of the 69,400-dwt crude tanker Strofades (built 2006).
Axiom's lawyer Shashank Agrawal of SSA Legal Gujarat confirmed the arrest but would not be drawn on how the Eletson Gas LPG carrier could be held for a claim against an Eletson Corp crude tanker.
"We have enforced our client's rights in the appropriate forum and all other available remedies shall be duly exercised," he said.
TradeWinds reported in April that financial owner CSIC Leasing had arrested Strofades at Singapore along with two similar ships in the Bahamas.
CSIC's termination of the charters was based on alleged charter default related to a four-ship sale-and-leaseback deal dating to 2017. On Strofades, the lessor's claim for damages in connection with the Strofades arrest and charter termination came to $15.1m, including $11m in outstanding principal on Strofades itself plus a claim for unpaid charter hire of about $3.8m on all four dirty panamaxes.
The CSIC arrests followed in the wake of similar actions against four modern LR2 product tankers vessels by Cosco Shipping Leasing and Bank of Communications Financial Leasing (Bocomm Leasing).
Eletson Corp has been in selling mode for some times as it grapples with the demands of financial creditors.
Most recently, TradeWinds has reported on a rapid series of tanker sales to fellow Greek owners Castor Maritime and Capital Ship Management, including both arrested ships and others.
The deals include the sale of the 109,900-dwt Folegandros and Kastelorizo (both built 2019) to Evangelos Marinakis's Capital after their arrest by Cosco Shipping Leasing.
In March, Zodiac Maritime had already picked up two Eletson ships targeted by BoComm Leasing.
When contacted by TradeWinds about the Anafi arrest, Eletson director Vassilis Kertsikoff transferred the call to Eletson Gas's Athens operations department. The vessel's operator confirmed that the ship is discharging at Mumbai but told TradeWinds he knew nothing about an arrest and transferred the call to the legal department, where a staff member also said he was not aware of an arrest.
Sources close to the Mumbai case dispute the Eletson legal official's claim to be unaware of the arrest.
This article was amended after original publication to retract erroneous information that Eletson maintained a minority stake in the Folegandros and Kastelorizo after their sale
