EVOLUTION

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Stranded bulkcarrier left Charleston with new crew

The 'Evolution' which had been detained in Charleston with 21 crew members on board for more than four months, left its anchorage in the night of June 18 with a new owner and a new crew at the helmen route to Morocco. The International Transport Workers’ Federation before had helped the stranded seafarers return home. The 21 men, mostly from the Philippines, were allowed to leave the vessel on June 13 and stayed at a North Charleston hotel under escort as they awaited flights under a special waiver with U.S. immigration officials. The last group of eight flew out on June 19 for Manila and arrived home on June 20. The U.S. Marshals Service had arrested the 'Evolution' on Jan. 31 shortly after it had arrived in Charleston over a legal dispute involving its owner, the Greece-based Smooth Navigation. A consortium of insurers had filed a lawsuit demanding that the Liberia-flagged freighter be seized and sold to pay for a shipment of iron that was damaged while being delivered to a port in Indonesia. Next port of call was Las Palmas with an ETA as of June 30.

Detained bulkcarrier to be auctioned

The 21 crew members of the 'Eveolution' which has been detained off the tip of Charleston peninsula since late January 2020 were seeking to be paid back wages from a proposed sale of the vessel. They said in a court document filed on May 17, 2020, that they were owed more than $355,000 under their employment contracts and entitled to share a $42,300 bonus if the anchored freighter is sold. A consortium of insurers were demanding the 'Evolution' to be put on the auction block to pay for a shipment of iron that was damaged by saltwater as the vessel sailed to Indonesia from Iran. They were seeking to recoup $1.45 million from an overseas maritime firm called Smooth Navigation, according to a negligence lawsuit they filed in federal court earlier this year. The U.S. Marshals Service detained the vessel on Jan. 31, a day after it arrived in Charleston. The crew was asking a federal judge to place a maritime lien on the ship and allow them to intervene in the insurance dispute before the auction, which was scheduled for May 19. Otherwise, their pay claims were in peril of being extinguished. Most of the stranded seamen were from the Philippines, except for the two top-ranking officers, who were from Jordan and Lebanon. About $55,000 of their back wages accrued before the ship was arrested. The crew members, who have continued to perform their duties, were not seeking to postpone the auction. The expenses the ship had racked up from the time it arrived in South Carolina through Feb. 22. The bills included $68,000 in dockage payments, $38,000 for fuel and $800 a day in custodial fees. The fair-market value of the 25-year-old ship was about $2.75 million. A public auction is appropriate based on the growing and extensive expenses and the disproportionate decreasing value of the 'Evolution'. The bidding starts at $1.25 million and will increase in minimum $10,000 increments. Would-be buyers are required to submit a $125,000 refundable deposit, according to the sale terms. In addition to the crew wages, the 'Evolution'’s owner and manager, both Greek companies, owe Coleman Supply Co. about $53,200 for provisions, according to a recent court filing. The Charleston-based ship chandler was seeking to place a separate lien on the freighter to secure its 10 unpaid claims.

Bulkcarrier detained in Charleston

The 'Evolution' has been arrested by the US Marshals, Charleston, on Jan 31, 2020. It completed discharge without incident on Feb 1 and remained docked at the SCSPA Columbus Street Terminal. The ship will be sold by live/internet auction by US Marshals service at Charleston on May 15.