A northern New Jersey chemical company is accusing the crew of a Greek-owned bulker of disobeying terminal rules and taking it out of commission for weeks last year.
AdvanSix filed a $1.5m lawsuit in Norfolk, Virginia federal court Tuesday, alleging the 26,000-dwt Amazon (built 1997) damaged the pier at its Hopewell, Virginia terminal last June while loading ammonium sulfate destined for west Africa.
The ship is managed and controlled by Tide Line, a Piraeus-based company led by Paris Xanalatos.
The Amazon was allegedly moored to the terminal's pier with strained, fraying mooring lines, which broke as the wind picked up ahead of a thunderstorm. AdvanSix said its terminal rules require ships to be properly moored and that the use of the worn lines caused the collision and damage.
The terminal was closed from 20 June to 5 July, during which period AdvanSix paid out more than half a million in repairs. The bill grew by another $800,000 when the company had to truck its cargo to other ports while the repairs were made.
Other costs bring the total to $1.5m.
Tide Line did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
