Unpaid Suez canal dues

A ship passed through the Suez Canal, and the agent's principal, a Canadian charterer who he had acted for on several previous occasions, confirmed that the transit fees of US$100,000 payable to the Suez Canal Authority had been remitted.  The agent accepted the charterer's assurance, but two weeks later notified the Club that the "remittance" had not arrived.  A visit to ITIC's Credit Management Information Centre prior to accepting the charterer's word would have alerted the agent in  Suez to the fact that the Canadian charterer had been reported to ITIC on several occasions for failure to pay other ship agent members.  In any event, as Suez Canal Dues constitute a maritime lien, the Club was able to arrest the ship on her arrival in Canada, and recovered the amount owing from the ship owner.  However, a visit to the ITIC website would have saved both legal costs and  a lot of anxiety on the part of the ITIC Member.