The lengthy detention of an International Seaways tanker has sparked a lawsuit between Panamax International and trader Petrolea Oil.

The New York tanker owner's 74,900-dwt Overseas Visayas (built 2006) has been held up in Venezuela since it was detained by authorities in early November, according to legal papers and tracking data from VesselsValue.

As the holdup approaches its four month mark, pool operator Panamax International, for which International Seaways is a major shareholder and provider of tonnage, launched litigation in a federal court in Miami seeking to recover more than $4.41