Vietnam-flagged vessel GSM 02 arrested in Singapore over unpaid bunker fuel

A Vietnam-flagged general cargo ship GSM 02, was arrested in Singapore on Monday for unpaid bunker fuel, law firm Oon & Bazaul LLP said Tuesday.

The 2005-built, 10,292-dwt vessel was arrested at 2:50 am Singapore time Monday (1850 GMT), Singapore’s Supreme Court website showed.
Checks on shipping databases showed GSM 02’s registered owner is VTD Exploitation & Ship Management.

The vessel last sailed from Ogishima, Japan, on June 19 and arrived at Johor North Eastern Outer Anchorages on July 1.

Singapore’s waterways are one of the busiest in the world, with around 3,400 vessels arriving at the port each month to take bunker fuel. Disputes over unpaid bunker fuel and mortgagee claims are often grounds for legal action.

However, the number of shipping vessels arrested in Singapore are at a multi-year low due to consolidation in the shipping industry, greater credit scrutiny and a pick-up in global economic growth, Platts previously reported.

Only 33 vessels were arrested in Singapore last year — a five-year low — compared with 57 in 2016, and 114 in 2012, data from the Supreme Court of Singapore showed.
Source: hellenicshippingnews