A Panamanian container vessel was seized at the country’s seaport on a local court’s order on Tuesday. The Sindh High Court is said to have asked local port authorities not to let M/v Hanjin Durban sail out of Pakistani territorial waters. The ship had arrived at the Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT) at 11:55am o January 23 to discharge over 8,700 containers and load at least 660 TEUs. According to sources, the court had moved in response to a petition filed by a local importer, M/s Abbas Steel Mills Limited (ASML), claiming financial damages amounting to $0.225 million against owners of the vessel and other accused. Others, the petitioner has claimed financial damages against, include the shipping line, M/s KMTC Line and the charterers, M/s Hangin Shipping M/s In Survey Shipping is said to be the local agents of Hangin Shipping. The sources privy to the matter said the importers had claimed not to have received in a safe and sound condition at least 20 containers they had imported from South Korea through M/v Hanjin Durban in its previous voyage to PICT during recent months. The steel millers claimed to have found, what the sources called, broken glass pieces in the imported consignment that was also under weight.
