MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Ghana port authorities want ARA Libertad moved to anchorage; Argentina refuses
Tema, Ghana’s busiest port needs the space for commercial shipping Ghanaian officials asked a judge Thursday to order the Argentine navy ship detained in the West African nation over a debt dispute to be moved because it was blocking valuable space at the port of Tema.
Ghana's port authority appeared in Accra's commercial court following an October 19 filing asking for the ARA Libertad to be moved to an anchorage, saying the three-masted tall ship was harming commercial activity.
Tema is Ghana's largest port and sees major traffic from commercial vessels.
“There is congestion at the port and commercial activities are virtually coming to a standstill,” a lawyer for the authority, Asare Darko was quoted by the local media.
“The situation is getting more and more chaotic. You can't put a military vessel in the midst of commercial vessels. As at yesterday, we could count about 20 vessels waiting to berth.”
A lawyer representing Argentina's government, Kizito Beyuo, told the court Buenos Aires would oppose the request and asked for an adjournment until November 1, which was granted.
NML Capital Limited, whose court claims led to the detention of the ship, will not oppose the request to move the frigate to anchorage, according to its lawyer Ace Ankomah.
More than 280 sailors -- most of them Argentines -- who had been stuck in Ghana for more than three weeks since the court detained their ship flew out aboard a chartered flight on Wednesday.
The group also included naval cadets from Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Argentina was forced to organise the evacuation after an Accra court upheld an order secured by NML, a Cayman Islands investment firm, which said it is owed 370 million by Argentina.
NML, a subsidiary of New York-based Elliott Capital Management, bought Argentine bonds at a discount when the country's economy was in freefall in 2000. Buenos Aires later defaulted.
Argentina has rescheduled and refinanced much of its debt, but bonds held by speculative funds are among its unsettled business.
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Oct 25th, 2012 - 07:07 pm 0I am a little surprised that Singer has not instructed his team to go for an enforcement notice in his favour from the court.
Given TMBOA’s latest diatribe and seemingly giving up on getting the ship back it seems the realistic option now. The Ghanaians seem to want the ship out of the way and this is a perfect solution to that problem.
If the Captain is lucky Singer might offer him a job on a permanent basis to move this and other AG vessels they will get in the future back to where Singer wants them.
You have to laugh!
I “Think” the captain should cooperate in full with the Gahnian authorities and move the ship to anchorage at position 5º 24’ 00’’ N - 0 º 00’ 50’’ E; some 12 nautical miles from the port of Tema........ ASAP. ;-)
Oct 25th, 2012 - 07:10 pm 02..oh you naughty lad, to international water jajaja no chance, this baby will rot in port for months as the desperate RG government twists and turns, just pay your debts ..simples
Oct 25th, 2012 - 07:23 pm 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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