Unpaid Bunkers: Arresting for Marine Fuel Claims in Egypt

Claims for bunkers supplied to a vessel are recognized maritime debts under Egyptian law and the 1952 Brussels Convention, making them a solid foundation for arrest. For suppliers, arrest is often the only effective leverage once a vessel has sailed and invoices remain unpaid.

The file should establish the supply and its terms: the bunker confirmation, delivery note signed on board, invoices, and the contractual chain. Where fuel was ordered by a charterer rather than the owner, the analysis of who is liable — and which vessel may be arrested — requires particular care.

Physical suppliers and contractual traders do not always share the same position. We assess each claim’s arrestability honestly before filing, because a well-founded application obtains an order in hours, while a weak one wastes the only window the vessel’s call provides.

With offices at Port Tawfik on the Suez Canal, we receive instructions around the clock and routinely file urgent bunker arrest applications in Suez, Port Said, Alexandria and Damietta before the vessel completes her transit or discharge.