Pacific Gulf Shipping is accusing the American Club of circling the wagons around its chairman in order to keep the Danish company from collecting a $22.6m arbitration award won in a ship abandonment case.

In papers filed in Brooklyn federal court last week, Pacific Gulf alleged the protection and indemnity club was taking "an active role" in its legal fight against chairman George Gourdomichalis, whose 52,500-dwt Vigorous (built 2005) was seized