Outstanding Disbursement Account

A ship agent had an unpaid disbursement account of USD 20,300 following a ship’s call. The ship arrived on 27th October and departed 15th November 2007, during which time repairs were carried out in dry dock. The agent had been nominated by the charterer and appointed by the owner. Due to the unexpected repairs, the ship was unable to sail and the charterer declared her off-hire. The agent continued to act for the owner during this period. The owner paid for most of the services after receiving the disbursement account, but did not pay two of the invoices. The owner disputed the invoices without giving any reason. ITIC wrote to the owner, who was based in Russia, but the correspondence went unanswered. Therefore, the Club requested the assistance of a local correspondent. After numerous calls with the owner, a meeting was arranged and the owner’s “confusion” over the invoices was clarified. The owner then stalled once more with further questions; again they were clarified to their satisfaction and, finally, payment was received in full.