Maersk-Aras

The Maersk company has filed suit on FEb 9, 2021, alleging that fuel supplied to it as part of an oil swap deal in 2018 was contaminated and caused damages to the 'Maersk Aras'. The suit filed in the Southern District of New York seeks to hold commodities trader Glencore liable for supplying the off-spec fuel to the company's vessels. According to papers filed with the court, Maersk completed a fuel swap with Glencore for 24,000 barrels of marine fuel to be supplied to the company in Panama in February 2018. The fuel was pumped aboard the 'Maersk Aras', and two days after it began using the fuel the vessel experienced engine failure forcing it to divert to Mexico to load replacement fuel before it could continue to sail. A subsequent analysis of the fuel showed that it was off-spec and seriously contaminated. The court documents reporedt that the tests showed the fuel contained traces of plastic, fibres, black gum, paraffin, and fatty acids. Maersk was seeking more than $6 million in damages from Glencore for the contaminated fuel.

The "Maerks Aras" was reported as not under command in the North Pacific off Gulf of California since Feb 17, 2018. The ship had been en route from Manzanillo, where she had sailed on Feb 16, to Yokohama, ETA March 4. On Feb 25 the vessel started limping back to Mexico, port of destination now Ensenada, ETA March 1. The ship had suffered an engine failure, but remained manoeverable. On Narch 2 the ship was under way at 4,5-5 knots speed.