Hanjin Ships To Dock at Long Beach Port
SOME ships caught up in the chaos of Hanjin Shipping’s collapse are starting to head into port after 10 days of uncertainty that left them unable to berth for fear of arrest.
The 10,100 teu Hanjin Greece was finally due to dock in Long Beach on Saturday morning local time after drifting off the Californian coast for about a week before sailing south to Mexican waters to avoid having to burn low sulphur fuel, MANA correspondent reported.
The ship was scheduled to berth at Total Terminals International to discharge and load cargo, and is due to sail on Monday night.
Another ship in the stranded fleet, Hanjin Boston, came inside the Long Beach breakwater on Friday to refuel but then moved back out to the anchorage again.
The latest development follows both legal and political action, with US Congresswoman Janice Hahn, who represents a Californian constituency and has close ties with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, urging Washington to intervene. She revealed that the US Commerce Department had held talks with the South Korean ambassador as well as US ports and other stakeholders to find a solution to the impasse.
“I continue to believe it is South Korea and Hanjin’s responsibility to front the cost for getting these ships docked and getting the cargo to its final destination during this busy shipping season,” she said.
At the same time, Reuters reported that a US judge had granted an order provisionally preventing creditors from arresting against Hanjin ships that dock in US ports, in order to allow cargo owners to take delivery of their merchandise.