Jan De Nul rails against “abusive” behavior of the Mexican authorities in the fight for the release of the excavator

The dredging giant Jan De Nul makes its dispute with Mexico over a detained ship public.

Mexico has held the Zheng He and the 36 sailors on board since the Luxembourg-flagged ship docked in the southern port city of Tampico last November. The owner owes $96 million in customs fees. Despite repeated efforts to free the ship, including a case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the giant dredger remains anchored in Mexico.

Mexico claims that the Zheng He owes import duties and plans to confiscate the ship as part of the fine. Tax authorities have determined that the ship itself was imported into Mexico, although it only called at the port for maintenance and crew replacement.

The vessel has been contracted to carry out various dredging operations in the Bahamas until the end of 2023 and throughout 2024. However, Jan De Nul stated that the decision to head to the Gulf of Mexico was made in November last year to avoid the worst of the hurricane season there.

During this time, the Zheng He requested a stopover from the Mexican authorities at the port of Tampico in Mexico and received permission to carry out a crew change, waste disposal and preventive maintenance on board. The ship was then seized.

Jan De Nul described the fines and confiscations as “abusive and disproportionate” in a press release yesterday.