A cargo vessel ‘arrested' in the mid-Atlantic Ocean and now moored in Dockyard is at the centre of a legal battle between a Scandinavian bank and a Liberian company.

On Saturday, the Moon Sapphire, a 600-foot chemical freighter, was escorted into Bermuda by a Marine and Ports pilot boat, after the Nordea Bank, based in Norway, called for a seizure of assets of its owner, the Thome Shipping company.

Meyer agents said she was brought into Bermuda, because the Island was the closest point.

Currently berthed in Dockyard, the vessel is expected to be here anywhere between one and four weeks. It is believed that the bank is trying find a buyer for the tanker.

However, British based lawyer David Middleburg, who represents the bank, refused to comment on the price tag attached to the vessel.

Meanwhile, Meyer Agencies has been providing for the 32 crew members on board vessel, who come from Russia, Indonesia and Poland.

Meyer shipping manager Joe Simas said all but ten members of the crew will be flown back to their homes between Thursday and Friday, but said he expected the captain and several engineers to remain with the ship until it is ready to leave Bermuda.

He added that all expenses involving the ship's stay in Bermuda and the departure of the crew are being handled by the Norwegian bank.