Sold to Chittagong Breakers
News
DEBI
Sold/Decommissioned
The Orissa High Court ordered the sale of 'Debi', which had arrived at Paradip Port on Nov 23, 2023, and was destined for Denmark. On Dec 1, the shipr was seized by the customs officials after discovering 22.2 kilograms of cocaine aboard. The Orissa High Court ordered the sale of the bulk carrier not for its involvement in the drug bust case, but after the ship owner, the Asia Pacific Shipping Company, Vietnam, failed to clear the due related to berthing charges and penalties to the Paradip International Container Terminal (PITC). In Feb 2024, the Orissa High Court allowed the ship to return to its owner only if the company provided a bank guarantee and an indemnity bond. Following this, the PITC charged the shipping company nearly $947,000 for overstay docking. The shipping company argued in court, stating that the vessel was subject to pay docking fees only upto the time before it was seized by customs officials in the drug case investigation. The company also claimed the vessel had overstayed because of the authorities' investigation, which was not under their control. However, the PITC claim was found valid, and the court ordered the arrest of the ship on Feb 23. On Aug 20, the PITC came back seeking permission from the court to sell the ship, stating the shipping company had failed to pay the bills or provide any security. PITC further noted that with time, docking fees were piling up for the vessel. Moreover, the vessel was deteriorating, and the value was decreasing. The court ordered the vessel to be sold after the survey reports determined its value. The details of the sale will be provided after the survey report, which is expected to be available to the court in September.
