In a hard to reach port in an unstable part of the Middle East, a large iron ore unloader was knocked off its rails during an unberthing operation. The unloader straddled strategic oil pipelines supplying the country with benzine, and as a result of the incident, had become unstable. The port authority demanded that the ship owner reinstate the unloader,…
A ship was arrested in a Red Sea port in connection with an allegation that it had caused an explosion in an adjacent grain silo. The claimant required a bank guarantee for a very considerable amount in order to release the ship, but the ship operator and his insurer were unable to find a bank willing…
A bulk carrier collided with and severely damaged a brand new container gantry crane in a new, flagship container-handling terminal in a port in the Middle East. Port authority officials had, under pressure, made a massive multi-million Dollar claim for the cost of repairs and for consequential losses that were far in excess of the…
We were instructed to make local investigations in a North Africa country into why a ship laden with bagged rice was not being discharged by the cargo receiver, which was a local state owned trading company. The investigation pointed to corruption amongst top-level officials in this company – officials who were too senior for the local P&I…
We made successful, face-to-face representations to the port manager in a remote port in the Horn of Africa, to help stop the intimidation of the ship’s crew by a powerful local cargo receiver. This intervention created time for the ship’s P&I insurer to negotiate a reasonable settlement of a significant cargo damage claim with the…
A ship approaching a port in a Central American country lost 21 containers overboard in heavy weather. Due to a new and uncertain administrative law in that country, the Director of its Maritime Administration Authority acted arbitrarily against both the ship and, separately, the captain. Working on the ground, we were able to bring this…
Violent protests erupted against the crew of a ship in a West Africa port after rumours circulated that the crew had murdered a number of local stowaways discovered hiding on the ship. Although the local authorities did not have the capability to board the ship, which was anchored at a river berth, they were able to…
A ship at an outer anchorage in a port in Bangladesh had completed discharge and had all the papers on board necessary for departure. However, before anchors were lifted, the Master received notice from the authorities that the ship had been arrested for security in respect of a cargo claim and that the relevant Court order was being taken to the ship…
A ship was ordered off the berth, part loaded, following the discovery of cracks in her hull. She was moved to an anchorage in an environmentally sensitive area, which was subject to cyclone activity. Temporary repairs were undertaken. The ship was then detained by the local maritime safety agency. The ship owners could neither convince…
A small uninsured reefer ship was arrested at an up river port in West Africa for a USD1.1 million for alleged damage to cargo, which influential local receivers claimed had had to be destroyed by order of the local phytosanitary authority. We deployed to the port and through careful investigation were able to establish that…
