Court orders release of vessel illegally detained by Dangote

Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE has been dragged before the Federal High Court in Lagos over the alleged unlawful detention of a vessel.

The company, alongside Capt. Shivkumar Sherkhane and Rana Satendra, is facing legal action over the incident. The applicants in the suit, filed under number FHC/L/CS/639/2025, are the vessel Stena Sunshine and its owners.

In an interim ruling, Justice Akintayo Aluko ordered Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE to release the MT Stena Sunshine from detention upon the delivery of a Letter of Undertaking (LoU) issued by GARD Protection & Indemnity Club, securing any verifiable claims by the first respondent up to the sum of $200,000 USD.

The court further directed that the Letter of Undertaking should be in the sum of $300,000 USD, as reflected in the applicants’ letter dated April 8, 2025. The applicants were also ordered to formally file the LoU before the court.

However, the court declined the applicants’ request for an interim injunction to restrain Dangote Petroleum Refinery, its staff, agents, or representatives from harassing, arresting, detaining, or intimidating the applicants or interfering with their rights over the March 14, 2025, incident.

The matter was adjourned to May 27, 2025, for the hearing of the substantive suit.

In their motion dated March 26, 2025, the applicants had sought several reliefs, including:

An interim injunction restraining the respondents from further acts of harassment, detention, or threats related to the incident.

An order for the release of the MT Stena Sunshine upon submission of the LoU securing any verifiable claims up to $200,000 USD.

An order permitting substituted service of court processes via courier to the Respondent’s Chief Operating Officer.

The applicants supported their motion with a 14-paragraph affidavit and 19 grounds for the application. Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals FZE and the other respondents opposed the motion with an 11-paragraph affidavit.

In his ruling, Justice Aluko held that while the applicants’ request for protection from harassment could not be granted at this interim stage as it relates to substantive issues, their request for the vessel’s release had merit based on the evidence provided.

The court ordered:

Refusal of the first relief (protection from harassment).

Granting of the second relief (release of the vessel).

The LoU must be in the sum of $300,000 USD, as indicated by the applicants’ undertaking dated April 8, 2025.

The LoU must be formally filed before the court.