Zheng-He

The 'Zheng He', which had been detained since Nov 2023 in Tampico, has finally been allowed to depart and left the port on March 14, 2026. The dispute between the owner company Jan De Nul and Mexico thus appeared to be settled. The reason for the detention was a tax dispute in which the local government considered the ship to be an imported good. As a result, import duties would have to be paid on the ship. Due to the high value of the dredger, the Mexican government demanded approximately 90 million dollars. Nothing was known regarding the content of the current agreement. The crew was doing well, and the ship was sailing towards Freeport with an ETA as of March 20.

When the ' Zheng He' was to set course from the Bahamas to the port of Tampico with the focus on changing crew, refueling and maintenance, Mexico had doubts about this and said that it was a customs matter. The ship was also said not to be able to present the correct documents. That is why Mexico considered the 'Zheng He' as an imported good and demands import costs.of 96 million Euros, the value of the ship. De Nul – and Luxembourg – did not agree with this. They have refused to pay the fine for 10 months. There are 36 crew members on that ship who are not allowed to disembark. Legal steps have already been taken and they indicated that Mexico must release the ship - and especially the crew. Luxembourg brought the case before the Mexican court and it was decided that Mexico was wrong. Nevertheless, Mexico is not releasing the ship. That is why Luxembourg went to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg in June 2024. However, the tribunal decided not to intervene. The tribunal did not see the urgency of immediately removing the crew from the ship. Nevertheless, the tribunal remains competent for the case and will have to make a final decision.