The privatisation of Shipping Corp of India (SCI) has attracted controversy due to a legal fight between the state shipowner and US-based bidder Safesea Group.

New Jersey bulker and tanker owner Safesea arrested an SCI bulker in South Africa in December over $500,000 of unpaid bills.

But this appears to contravene government guidelines for participation in the sell-off of a part of the state's stake in SCI.