Unimor Shipping of Ukraine deposited EUR 456,000 ($502,867) in a local Bangladeshi bank. 75,000-dwt MV Ancona (ex-Ag Vartholomeos, built 1995) was arrested in Bangladesh on 23 June after the family of a dead crew member filed a lawsuit in the Bangladesh Admiralty Court seeking compensation from the owner. According to Wirana Shipping (cash scrap buyer) vice-president legal Shashank Agrawal, the owner’s action in getting the ship released indicated it was ready to reach a settlement. Agrawal told : “The principals of Wirana Shipping are pleased to note that the sellers of the vessel have fully complied with their contractual obligations and secured [the] release of the vessel.” Last month, the court ordered the owner to pay $517,300, plus 20% interest, in compensation to the family of the dead crew member, Oleksandr Ustyuzhanin.
The family had secured the compensation ruling earlier this year in a Greek court but Unimor allegedly avoided paying. Meanwhile, Agrawal says the Ancona, which was beached on 22 June at Chittagong, would be scrapped soon.