Crew Reviews, Ratings & Info for Mckeil-Spirit

The crew members of the Ardita, an Italian cargo vessel that has been stranded in Hamilton Harbour since April, are finally heading home just in time for Christmas. This joyous announcement was made on Friday, following the resolution of a protracted legal dispute with international bankers, which allowed for the ownership of the ship to be transferred to McKeil Marine. For second engineer Vincenzo Esposito, who hails from Naples, this couldn't have come at a more opportune time. Experiencing Canada for the first time, he has found the harsh winter climate quite challenging. "It's too cold here. I prefer the sunny warmth of southern Italy," Esposito expressed. The crew comprises three Italians, supplemented by eight Filipinos, two Lithuanians, and one Latvian national. While some sailors have been on board since April, others were flown in to replace crew members whose contracts expired while the Ardita was docked. The resolution of this long-standing situation brings hope and joy to those ready to reunite with their families during the festive season.

Armamento Setramar, a maritime company based in Ravenna, is actively collaborating with McKeil Marine, a Canadian firm, to address the ongoing situation involving the general cargo ship Ardita. The vessel, currently docked in Hamilton, Canada, has become a focal point of a dispute that led to its arrest, with 14 seafarers onboard. Recent reports from Canadian media indicated that Italian banks had halted the sale of the Ardita. However, UniCredit has communicated to Splash that it is "ready and pleased to facilitate a swift resolution in alignment with the company's current debt restructuring efforts." Setramar's CEO, Nicolò Poggiali, emphasizes the importance of fostering a peaceful dialogue with McKeil Marine. He clarified that the involved parties were not negotiating a sale; rather, they were discussing a bareboat charter with options for a potential sale based on specific market conditions. This is crucial in understanding why the Ardita had been in Hamilton, where it underwent refitting to prepare for reflagging and to operate on local cabotage routes across the Great Lakes.

The crew of the Italian cargo vessel Ardita finds themselves in a state of uncertainty as the ship remains detained in Hamilton Harbour. The vessel docked in the port on April 24, according to Larissa Fenn, a representative of the Hamilton Port Authority. The detention stems from a legal conflict unrelated to the port operations. Bruce McKeil, the chairman and CEO of McKeil Marine, revealed that his company had acquired the Ardita from Setramar, an Italian shipping firm based in Ravenna. However, the deal has hit a snag as Italian banks have refused to release the ship following partial payment, leading to its detention by federal court order. "We were in the midst of integrating the vessel into our fleet and cleared the necessary funds for its transfer to Canada," McKeil stated. The transfer was crucial for registration purposes. With the ship still grounded, McKeil faces significant losses amounting to $2 million for outstanding bills, primarily owed to his own company and a local shipping repair firm. To mitigate the impact of the delay, McKeil had to acquire an alternate vessel for its intended task of transporting cement down the St. Lawrence River to an eastern customer.