A vessel loaded with 18,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat seized in a Yemeni port for a month. The crew held without release, says vessel owner

The bulk carrier TOI CHALLENGER, loaded with around 18,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat, has been held in the port of Al-Mukalla in Yemen for more than a month. "The situation has signs of commercial manipulation and a gross violation of international maritime law," Captain Andriy Naumenko, director of the vessel's owner, Integrated Transport Management Group, and vice president of the Association of Sea Captains of Odesa, told Latifundist.com.

The wheat was bound for Al Rayyan Salalah Mills and Arabian Sea Fisheries, he said. The cargo was transported on the basis of ‘clean’ bills of lading, which certified the proper condition of the goods at the time of loading at the port of departure, says Naumenko.

He noted that upon arrival, the consignees rejected the cargo without providing any legal grounds.

Lawyers and experts speculate that there may have been collusion between local authorities and commercial entities, leading to the actual detention of the vessel and crew in a regional commercial conflict.

"It is unacceptable that the commercial dispute of the consignee should cause a vessel with no violations and its international crew to be affected. Our vessel was duly chartered, loaded and delivered. There are no legal grounds for its detention in Al Mukalla," says Naumenko.

The company reports that the shipowner's losses have already topped six figures in euros due to downtime costs, lost time charter contracts and reputational damage. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Yemen remains an area of active military conflict, which poses risks to the lives of the crew. Some of the sailors are aboard beyond the contractual timeframe and are unable to leave the vessel.

Freight broker and founder of MB Navigation S.A., Kostiantyn Sobol, confirmed this information to Latifundist.com and added that he was advising the company to settle the case.