An ugly impasse involving three ships managed by Singapore-headquartered Elektrans is coming to an end, with the vessels being sold and their crew finally getting paid.
The Distya Akula, Distya Ameya and Distya Pushti – three tankers controlled by Arya Ship Charterers in which Elektrans also had a 17% holding – saw a time charter fail to pay up, resulting in the ships’ crew failing to be paid and living in squalid conditions for a number of months. The crew managed to mount a visible campaign online to highlight their plight, one which Splash has been tracking closely.
Two of the ships were arrested in India and another detained in Cyprus. Now however a conclusion to the plight of those onboard is in sight.
The Distya Ameya was sold yesterday with the unspecified buyers sending a remittance to the ship’s crew.
Captain Michael Elwert, CEO of Elektrans Group, told Splash that the same buyers are close to concluding a deal for the Distya Akula while a different company is less than two weeks away from completing the purchase of the Distya Pushti.
“I wish we could have solved the situation faster,” Elwert told Splash.
