Four marine refuelling barges owned and operated by Vermont UM Shipping Pte Ltd were seized in Singapore during the evening of Monday April 2nd, according to the Singapore Supreme Court web site.
Singaporean law firm Rajah & Tann seized the vessels over unpaid claims on behalf of its client Maybank, said Reuters, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter who wished to remain anonymous. The amount of the claims against Vermont UM Shipping is not known.
The bunkering vessels – the Angel Sun, Angel Moon, Angel Star and Ansheng – , range between 4,999 and 6,964 dwt and are equipped with mass flow meters, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Vermont UM Bunkering Pte Ltd is a now defunct Singapore-based marine fuels supplier and is a shareholder of Vermont UM Shipping, according to documents from Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority. In April 2016 the MPA stripped Vermont UM Bunkering of its operating licences after finding discrepancies and wrongful declarations in records kept on board its bunkering vessels.
In November 2017 Vermont UM Bunkering and three of its executives were charged with cheating as part of a government crackdown on short deliveries of fuel to vessels.