MSC forks out $50m to get cocaine-bust ship trading again

ID 150341125 © Brian Kushner | Dreamstime.com

Kudos to our friends at Splash247 for following up on the arrest of the MSC Gayane, which now appears to be on its way to Rotterdam, after operator MSC paid $50m in security bonds to release the vessel from the clutches of US authorities in the port of Philadelphia. Last month US customs operatives seized the largest ever consignment of cocaine aboard the vessel, and not only arrested several crew members but the entire vessel itself. However, Splash247 also reports that the shipping lies has agreed to return the vessel to US control should a judge enter a final forfeiture against. According to vesselsvalue.com the MSC Gayane is owned by JP Morgan Global Maritime, one of five container vessels it owns.