A handysize bulker is free to leave India 15 months after cocaine was found on board.
The Hindustan Times reported that Orissa High Court ordered the release of Asia Pacific Shipping’s 37,200-dwt vessel Debi (built 2012) at the port of Paradip.
The 21 Vietnamese crew members were released in December last year and this January.
The bulker was carrying steel plate from Indonesia to Denmark when it was detained in November 2023 during a stopover over the seizure of 22 kg of the drug worth INR 2.2bn ($25.2m) that was hidden on board.
The release order was made after the owner settled a debt owed to Paradip International Cargo Terminal, where the vessel had been docked.
The terminal had been seeking INR 80m in berth fees in an admiralty case.
The ship was arrested last February.
Admiralty judge Murahari Sri Raman said: “The admiralty suit which was filed does not survive as the matter has been settled between the two parties outside the court.
“The admiralty suit has been allowed to be withdrawn taking into consideration the affidavit filed by Paradip International Cargo Terminal,” the judge added.
The court also asked the ship’s owner to pay Paradip port’s costs of INR 2.4m.
Asia Pacific Shipping was founded in 2021 by what it describes on its website as “a team of experienced ship managers, crew managers, vetting managers and marine safety consultants, backed by Vietnamese investors”.
The company has expanded rapidly and today has a fleet of more than 20 ships covering the full range of vessels in the tanker, gas and bulker sectors.
The Debi was acquired in January 2023 from Harren Bulkers of Germany for an undisclosed price. (Copyright)
