A Viken Shipping aframax tanker has been sitting under arrest in Singapore for a week over a cargo claim totalling about $4.4m.
High Court records indicate that the Norwegian shipowner’s 113,500-dwt Kronviken (built 2006) was arrested on Sunday at the request of the owner of a cargo that had recently been transported by the ship.
The vessel is owned by Viken Crude, a Viken joint venture.
The name of the cargo’s owner was not readily identified in court records viewed by TradeWinds on Thursday. Tanker industry sources believe that the dispute is between the cargo owner and a charterer of the vessel.
A source close to Viken familiar with the arrest downplayed the event, claiming that “normal processes for such issues are being followed”.
Legal sources said that it is likely involved posting security in the form of guarantees for an arbitration proceeding.
Also under arrest in Singapore this week is Turkish shipowner Breakbulk Shipping Tasimacilik’s 8,700-dwt general cargoship HL Osaka (built 2002).
The vessel was arrested on Sunday over a $105,000 claim filed by Medpool, a Cypriot-based supply purchasing pool operator.
The shipowner could not be reached for comment and details on the nature of the claim were not immediately available.
Tradewinds reported on Monday that two medium-range product tankers owned by Somerset Shipping were also arrested last Thursday by HSBC Bank, which filed cargo owner claims worth $3m against each vessel.
Both ships remained under arrest on Thursday.
