West of England P&I Club warns operators to be vigilant when offered shipments out of Algerian ports
The West of England P&I Club has informed on its website about fraudulent cargo fixtures in Algeria due to a recent case.
An operator recently encountered a fraud for a substantial sum in Algeria. They fixed a contract with charterers for the carriage of a cargo of phosphate and boilers loading at Oran, Algeria under “Liner In” terms.
But after making payments of US$100,000 in advance for stevedore and berthing costs, they were no longer able to reach the charterer’s designated local agent – Messrs. SUTCU Shipping & Logistics Ltd.
The Club’s local correspondentin Algeria has advised that the operator is unfortunately a victim of fraudsters, who are not located in Algeria but in Turkey.
It is therefore not possible to report the fraud to the local policesince the agents do not in fact exist in Algeria and payment was made intoa bank account in Turkey.
According to the correspondent similar incidentshave been encounteredin Algeria since 2011 and operators are consequently advised to be vigilant when offered such shipments out of Algerian ports.
Source: West of England P&I Club