Interlegal defended the ship owner’s interests at the Poti Port, Georgia

After the vessel has arrived at the roads of the Poti Port to discharge the cargo, the harbour master prohibited the vessel to call at port for 72 hours on the grounds of third party’s (creditor’s) claim against the charterer of the present voyage.

Our experts have taken urgent steps tosecure the vessel’s call to  port and discharge of the cargo as soon as possible.

The detailed analysis of situation showed that according to the Merchant Shipping Code of Georgia and the Regulation of the Poti Port 2012 the harbour master is entitled to prohibit the vessel to leave port in the following cases:

a) On the grounds of the person’s or legal entity’s claim against the vessel due to general average, charter party, vessel collision, failure to pay taxes or other damages;

b) At the request of port administration in case of any damage caused by vessel to port constructions, navigation equipment and other property located at port.

Prohibition may be lifted in case when the ship owner provides the corresponding security upon the abovementioned claims.

In order to settle the situation the letter of protest was submitted to the harbour master via the representative of Interlegal in Georgia: creditor raised a claim not against the vessel itself but against the cargo. In addition, negotiations were held with the creditor’s representatives.

Due to the actions of Interlegal the harbour master permitted the vessel to call  the port. The vessel was moored and the creditor guaranteed unrestricted discharge. After loading new cargo the vessel left the Poti Port for the voyage, without any detention and any damages related thereto.

Nataliya Myroshnychenko, Nadezhda Isikova, Dmitriy Zagorodnyuk and Eduard Machavariani, the representative of Interlegal in Georgia, participated the present case.