What Crew Members Say About Aliman

In a significant maritime transaction, Saudi Arabia’s Suleiman Saeed Al-Jabri Trading has successfully purchased the bulk carrier 'Shun Cheng'. This vessel was previously under the ownership of Qingdao Xinwei Shipping, a branch of Qingdao Zhenghe Shipping. The decision to auction the ship stemmed from a legal dispute involving 19 crew members who have been contesting their working contracts since October 2014. In a related development, Qingdao Maritime Court has also set plans to auction two other vessels from Zhenghe Shipping, namely 'Zheng He 12' and 'Fu Shan Wan', following requests from the respective crews. The series of legal actions against Zhenghe Shipping highlights the company’s ongoing financial struggles, prompting these court proceedings and auctions.

A devastating fire broke out on an unnamed tanker, reportedly linked to the m/t Shun Cheng, on September 29 in the Gulf of Tonkin, at coordinates 20-40N 106-51E, near Hai Phong, Vietnam. This catastrophic incident resulted in the loss of five crew members and a firefighter, with two others suffering injuries. Although Vietnamese media identified the vessel as the Shun Cheng, a Taiwan-flagged freighter weighing over 3,800 tons, this appears to be a misidentification, as no records exist for such a ship in maritime databases. Visual evidence of the incident suggests that the vessel is indeed a tanker. Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire was triggered by sparks from welding activities on board. For ongoing updates, visit the Maritime Bulletin at http://www.odin.tc.