Two Hanjin Shipping vessels under ‘arrest’ off the B.C. coast
Two Hanjin Shipping container vessels are detained at anchor off the British Columbia coast, with a list of creditors seeking at least $3.6 million in unpaid bills that the foundering shipping giant racked up before falling into receivership Aug. 31 in South Korea.
The Hanjin Vienna, a 280-metre ship with a crew of 24, was detained Sept. 1 before leaving the Deltaport Terminal at Roberts Bank, on a warrant sought in Federal Court by companies of the tugboat operator Saam Smit Canada Inc., for unpaid bills totalling $162,146, according to court documents. It was moved to an anchorage at Constance Bay off Victoria’s Ogden Point, where it remains.
The Hanjin Scarlet, a 255-metre ship, also with a crew of 24, offloaded cargo at the Port of Prince Rupert’s Fairview Terminal on Sept. 7 after terminal operator DP World and CN Rail struck a deal to move stranded cargo due to come off at the port.
However, DP World, on Sept. 14, sought a warrant in Federal Court to arrest the ship, which is the term used in court documents, looking to claim unpaid bills of $1.6 million incurred by Hanjin Shipping vessels.
The Hanjin Scarlet was formally seized Wednesday afternoon, just hours before it was scheduled to leave port for Seattle, said Michael Zuber, the court-appointed bailiff with North Central Bailiffs who served the warrant.
“The captain was very surprised when I gave him the warrant,” Zuber said. “They had been preparing to leave port and had arranged for pilots.”
The ship, however, remains at Anchorage 27 off Prescott Island, outside Prince Rupert harbour.
There is no indication the crew of either ship is in any difficulty.
Since the ships were detained, court filings show that the list of creditors has stretched to terminal operators, the Prince Rupert and
Vancouver port authorities themselves and suppliers such as Saam Smit and World Fuel Services Inc.
And the claims filed at Federal Court in Vancouver name unpaid bills related to as many as four other vessels that have called at both ports in recent months.
Hanjin Shipping sought court protection from creditors in South Korea after a proposal for restructuring was rejected by creditors and its financiers balked at extending the company additional credit.
The Hanjin Scarlet and Hanjin Vienna are among at least six ships that have been arrested or seized by creditors looking to secure claims, according to documents on the company’s website.
A U.S. judge, last week, granted Hanjin a temporary order barring creditors from seizing the company’ s assets, to facilitate off-loading of cargo at what is a critical period for the North American retail supply chain.