South Africa's high court is selling off a cargo of Western Saharan phosphate on an AM Nomikos bulker at the centre of a long-running legal dispute.

Sealed bids have been invited for the 55,000 tonnes on board the 60,000-dwt NM Cherry Blossom (built 2015), which was arrested last April in a row over the legality of the shipment.

The Polisario Front, the political organisation representing Western Sahara, alleged the phosphate bound for New Zealand was illegally taken from the territory.