A humanitarian crisis on board a formerly fugitive aframax has been lifted but crew members, lenders, and creditors are still seeking financial relief from the High Court of Sri Lanka.
Low-profile Indian owner Alphabet Maritime renounced responsibility for the 107,200-dwt Kutch Bay (built 1997) in late January and abandoned it, according to lawyers involved in its arrest since last October, when the vessel reappeared after going on the run.
The abandonment followed social-media pleas for help from families of crew members, who had gone without supplies and who are understood to still be owed about two months' wages.
Senthil Kumar, managing director of crewing and management company Silver Star Ship Management, told TradeWinds that crew members are now receiving provisions and some have repatriated. But its lawyers in Colombo are still chasing wages and management fees in the arrest action.
"We have managed to get 15 seafarers off the ship but nine more remain," said Kumar, who has retained maritime lawyer Farman Cassim. "We want to enable our crew to go home as soon as possible, but the only good way to do this is through the court."
Cassim told TradeWinds that no auction has yet been scheduled. Three Pakistani and six Indian crew members are still to be repatriated, including the master and chief engineer.
Warning to cash buyers
TradeWinds reported last September that cargo financier UBS Switzerland had won an arrest order for the ship at the port of Galle, but the ship evaded service of the court papers.
Lawyers for UBS warned potential cash buyers at the time that the ship had evaded arrest and would be seized in the event of a scrap sale. The bank's claim was estimated at more than $26m, and a scrap deal at the time would have covered less than $6m of that.
UBS is represented in the action by the Dubai office of Holman Fenwick Willan, Colombo-based DL&F De Saram, and Gujarat-based SSA Legal.
Captain Nirmal Silva, Sri Lanka's national harbour master, confirmed to TradeWinds in September that the Kutch Bay had evaded arrest.
"Our clients will vigorously challenge any attempts to sell the vessel to any third party without the first prior and complete discharge of our client's claim," SSA Legal's Shashank Agrawal warned the market.
But the Kutch Bay's run soon ended. After going dark off Galle on 16 September 2020, it reappeared on 7 October at the Colombo anchorage, where it was subsequently arrested and where it remains.
The ship was previously chartered by distressed bunkering supplier GP Global. But a representative of Dubai-based GP Global has said the outfit does not have any ongoing connection to the ship.
Alphabet Maritime could not be reached for comment.
Silver Star has managed and crewed vessels for GP Global in the past, but Kumar said the bunker player was no longer a customer.
