The High Court has ordered the arrest and detention of a cruise ship that arrived in Dublin Port this morning.
The MV Princess Danae, which has a capacity to carry more than 800 passengers and crew, has been detained arising out of an alleged failure by its owners to pay an outstanding fuel bill of $94,000.
The ship, which is registered in Madeira and flies the flag of Portugal, was due to depart from Dublin Port this evening.
Today at the High Court Mr Justice Roderick Murphy said he was satisfied to issue a warrant under a 1952 International Maritime Convention allowing for the arrest and detention of the Portuguese registered cruise ship.
The application was made ex-parte, where only one side was represented in court.
The arrest and detention order was sought by Italian registered firm Omega Bunker SRL, who entered into an agreement with the ships owners Waybell Cruises Inc, with a registered address at Panama City, Panama, to supply the vessel with fuel in the Port of Manila, the Philippines last April.
The owners were then invoiced for $409,000. Ciaran Lewis Bl for Omega told the court that this deal was not honoured by the ship’s owners.
Earlier this year counsel said that his client had the ship detained in the port of Pireaus in Greece over its alleged failure to pay the fuel bill.
The ship was released in early June after the parties entered into an settlement agreement. The ships owners agreed to make a number of payments in June of July of this year in order to settle the bill.
Several payments were made. However despite that agreement the ship’s owners had refused to pay an outstanding amount of $94,000 which Omega claims it is due.
Counsel said his client now wanted the ship restrained from going to sea until security was given that it would receive its money.
The Judge said that in light of the evidence present to the court he was prepared to grant orders detaining the ship.