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Arrested ship due to sail soon

The former "Nikol H" which has been stuck in the Delaware River since Apr 3, 2014, because of needed repairs and owners who could not pay for them was poised to set sail next week. The ship has been renamed "Nicolina", got a new crew and new owners. A federal lawsuit that had kept the vessel in arrest has been settled. The Seamen's Church Institute, which regularly greets seafarers in ports along the Delaware, provided lunch and a festive farewell on Nov 12, 2014, for the 20 new Filipino crew members. Because their visas had expired, the original crew members could not leave the ship over the summer. As their contracts expired, members of the former crew received U.S. Customs paroles to go home. The rest left when the new owners took over. The new captain and crew arrived last month, after Keeper Maritime Co. of Manila and Orient Shipping Rotterdam B.V., Netherlands, acquired the former "Nikol H" on Oct. 22. The "Nicolina" has been registered in the Philippines and retrofitted with new parts. If all went well, the captain hoped to set sail already on Nov 12 after the Coast Guard has carried out an inspection to satisfy themselves that the repairs have been done properly. On Apr 12 the "Nikol H", owned by an operating company in Piraeus had discharged 13,521 tons of cocoa beans at Pier 84 in South Philadelphia. The Coast Guard cited the "Nikol H" for operational deficiencies and banned the vessel from sailing until repairs were made. The "Nikol H" was anchored in the Delaware. In May, Dependable Distribution Services, the operator at Pier 84, sued in federal court, seeking to arrest the ship from leaving for failure to pay nearly $300,000 in wharfage, stevedoring, and other fees for the six weeks it had been docked for repairs. Other suppliers, the ship agent, and a time-charter firm joined the lawsuit, saying they also were owed money for the time the vessel was in port and received fuel and other necessities. The owner and operator at that time, Derna Carriers S.A., claimed not to have the money to pay. In August, the ship moved to near the Cruise Terminal at the Navy Yard. In October all claims were settled after Orient bought the ship. Report with photo: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20141113_Cargo_ship_s_months-long_stay_in_the_Delaware_is_about_to_end.html#qf7y5Ytv4tE05tK3.99

sold

sold to undisclosed buyer 4,5 million USD

Stranded crew asking for humanitarian parole

The Filipino crew members of the "Nikol H" asked for “humanitarian parole” from the US Customs and Border Protection after being stuck for over four months on a shop anchored in the Delaware River. The ship was being manned by 17 Filipinos, aged 23 to 54, two Ukrainian officials and an Egyptian captain. Although provided with cell phones, Internet connection, food and water and regular paychecks, the Filipino seamen demanded to be let from the ship. The Seaman’s Church Institute was helping them to get humanitarian parole that would allow them to go off the ship. Most of them had visas when they arrived, which allowed them off but were only valid for 29 days and have meanwhile expired. The "Nikol H" failed to pass a routine maintenance test that caused it to dock at Pier 48 in South Philadelphia. The US Coast Guard detained the freighter, because its owner, Derna Carriers, failed to pay its docking bills amounting to more than $1 million. The Seaman’s Church Institute continued to negotiate with US Border authorities to grant the crew members an extension to their visas. The Consul General Art Romua of the Philippine Consulate in New York confirmed that there was no assurance of when the ship will be able to leave. Derna Carriers claimed not to have the money to pay. Recently, there has been an attempt to sell the ship and pay the vendors, but the negotiation did not push through. If no buyer comes soon, once the ship goes to berth for repairs, it likely may be auctioned. Report with photo: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/109560/filipino-crewmen-stranded-on-ship-ask-for-humanitarian-parole#ixzz3AjUrt4TP