A Blank Rome team represented Three Fifty Markets, Ltd. in a maritime lien dispute against the M/V Argos M for unpaid bunker fuel supplied to the vessel. (Three Fifty Markets, Ltd. V. ARGOS M M/V et al., No. 24-30413 (5th Cir. 2026))
The dispute arose after bunkers were ordered for the vessel by AUM Scrap and Metals Waste Trading LLC (“AUM”), acting on behalf of time charterer Shimsupa GmbH, but were never paid for. Although the vessel’s owner, Argos Bulkers, argued that charterparty “no‑lien” provisions barred any maritime lien and that AUM lacked authority to bind the vessel, the Fifth Circuit in a 2-1 decision affirmed the District Court’s ruling following a bench trial, which rejected those arguments and recognized Three Fifty’s maritime lien.
The Blank Rome team included William “Bill” Bennett and Noe Hamra.