The legal battle arises from an attack on the 40,200-dwt products carrier Valle di Cordoba (built 2005) by 15 armed pirates near Abidjan in late 2010.

The pirates transferred more than 5,000 tonnes of the tanker’s oil cargo of over 33,000 tonnes with the lightering vessel never identified.

Charterer, Trafigura, claimed that Montanari as owner of the vessel was liable for the loss under a charterparty clause.

This