Taiwanese shipping line Yang Ming Marine Transport has announced that its 4,250 teu containership YM Eternity has been released by Australian authorities, having been detained by a court at the request of Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on Sunday over pollution cleanup debts related to another Yang Ming boxship, YM Efficiency.
Yang Ming confirmed that YM Eternity has been released from arrest and normal cargo operations have been resumed.
YM Efficiency lost 81 containers off the Hunter Coast in June 2018, causing debris to wash up on beaches throughout the region.
Yang Ming claimed that it has been committed to keeping the Hunter Coast pristine and working with the New South Wales state government to ensure all debris that could possibly be associated with the incident is cleaned up, while the company and its insurer have paid expenses for the clean-up operations.
WHY IS IT THAT THE OUTSTANDING CLEAN UP BILL WAS NOT PAID BEFORE NOW?