Arrested Singapore-flagged tanker Sophie 9 will be auctioned on 28 October along with its cargo of 4,078 tonnes of marine fuel oil, according to Singapore’s Supreme Court records.
The 2011-built, 6,141 dwt vessel was arrested in June 2015 under the instruction of local law firm Rajah & Tann Singapore. The exact reason for the vessel’s arrest is not known, but it is believed that it was detained because of a payment dispute.
According to IHS Maritime’s Sea-web.com database, Sophie 9 is anchored at Singapore’s Eastern Petroleum B Anchorage. The tanker is formerly owned by Singapore-based ship managing company DH Marine.
The vessel is valued at around USD8.33 million by VesselsValue.com, while the net value of its bunker is SGD44,000 (USD31,500). The vessel’s cargo is likely to fetch approximately SGD1.3 million under the current market rate.
The court ordered that all interested parties be invited to bid for the vessel by private treaty. The bids for Sophie 9 must be submitted together with a deposit of SGD50,000 in favour of the Sheriff of Singapore.
In a separate development, Greek bulk carrier Maria was arrested on 9 October 2015 in Singapore under the instruction of local legal firm Joseph Tan Jude Benny.
Maria is the second bulk carrier to be detained by Singapore in October 2015. Portugal-flagged bulk carrier Alexandrit was arrested on 2 October under the instruction of local law firm Oon & Bazul.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.