Interlegal lawyers arrested the vessel in Bulgaria due to bunker debt

Interlegal Ukrainian and Bulgarian lawyers jointly arrested the vessel in Bulgaria, as bunker debt security against the large foreign bunkering company.

Shipowner’s indebtedness, jointly with accrued interests for late bunker payment, amounted to 29,000 Euros. Due to ineffective negotiations between the client and the debtor, the client applied to Interlegal for assistance.

Case complexity meant that the Shipowner, in order to evade fulfillment of its contractual obligations upon bunker payment, used the following scheme: shipowner was the offshore-registered company, while another company registered in one of the Baltic Countries under similar name entered into contractual relations with the client. Therefore, the debtor hoped that the court would not recognize the shipowner as liable for bunker debt. But to the debtor’s great disappointment, Interlegal lawyers could convince the court of the opposite, followed by the vessel arrest.

Interlegal associate lawyer Mikhail Selivanov and Bulgarian partner Mladen Popov led the case.