Sacramento/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on October 24, 2024
"China Spirit" Cargo Ship Departs Port of West Sacramento After Resolving $400K Fuel DebtSource: Google Street View

The Hong Kong-based cargo ship, "China Spirit," formerly detained at the Port of West Sacramento over an unpaid fuel debt, has been given the clear to set sail after the overdue amount was reportedly settled. According to ABC10, the ship was seized by U.S. Marshals due to an outstanding balance exceeding $400,000; this financial dispute kept the international crew of 21 mariners bound to the Sacramentan dock for nearly three weeks.

The situation took a turn for the better when, as CBS Sacramento detailed, a judge authorized the release of the vessel subsequent to the payment being fully processed, the crew members, who hailed from China, were preparing for the ship's imminent voyage carrying 20,000 metric tons of rice intended for Jordan, even though the crew had little to nothing to do with the transaction that originated from a purchase in The United Arab Emirates, they found themselves involuntarily tangled in the predicament.

Tim Campbell, the president of International Longshore Warehouse Union Local 18 and a candidate for West Sacramento City Council, has been a proponent for the crew's welfare, ensuring their treatment was fair during the detainment. "My number one concern is safety," Campbell said, stressing the importance of the crew's working conditions, the security of their food provisions, and the timely remittance of their wages whilst the legal entanglement unfolded according to the statement he provided to CBS Sacramento.

The seizure of the "China Spirit" is a rare occurrence, marking only the second such intervention at the Port of Sacramento in the last thirty years, Campbell noted, this rarity does not undermine the severity of such an event but instead casts a light on the unusual chain of legal and financial dominos that can topple the lives of mariners simply fulfilling their contracted duties, the union president expressed heartfelt relief and satisfaction concerning the crew's eventual discharge, indicative of sentiments captured by ABC10, affirming that spirits were high among the crew following the resolution, signified by the handshakes and high fives exchanged on deck.