Italian crew remains in limbo in Great Lakes harbor

The Ardita, which arrived at the Port of Hamilton at the western end of Lake Ontario in April, remains anchored in the harbor near the port due to a legal dispute over the sale of the vessel.    A 14-man crew has been in limbo as their cargo ship, the Ardita, remains under arrest in a harbor by the Port of Hamilton, located at the western end of Lake Ontario, the Hamilton Spectator reported.
   The 5,000 dwt open-hatch vessel arrived in Hamilton April 24 and was detained over a legal dispute over the sale of the vessel. McKeil Marine purchased the vessel from Italian shipping company Setramar, but the vessel is under arrest by federal court order because the sale’s closing has been impeded by Italian Banks, according to McKeil Marine Chairman and CEO Blair McKeil.
   He also said the banks refused to release the Ardita to him after he paid for it to sail to Hamilton, where it was brought to be transferred to a Canadian registry, the Hamilton Spectator said.
   As a result, McKeil has had to buy another vessel to transport cement down the St. Lawrence to a customer on the east coast, which is what the Ardita was intended to do.
   The crew is still getting paid by Setramar. Port Authority Harbour Master Vicki Gruber said the crew has had changeovers, with replacements being flown into Canada when others had their leave.
   On June 19, the Ardita was sent out to anchor in the harbor to free up dock space and has only come in once, which was in mid-July.