THE German owner of the small container ship, AFL New England, which has been detained in Halifax, Canada, since late April, has said that he cannot find a new route for the ship while it is under arrest.

"It is one of our eight ships and we are, of course, very concerned about getting it back into service," Kersten Rass, the owner of Rass Shipping Co., was quoted as saying in a report by the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. The shipping company was stuck with the arrested vessel after ill-fated start up American Feeder Lines collapsed on April 27.

AFL New England is tied up at an Ocean Terminals' pier in south-end Halifax with about 14 crew members aboard. The vessel spent about a month at anchor in Bedford Basin.

Warrants for outstanding debt are continuing to mount at the Halifax office of the Federal Court, indicating the ship may not be going anywhere soon. The court can only release the vessel when debtors' representatives lift their warrants.

Mr Rass said he is unable to secure another lease for the ship until there is a clear release date, which cannot be determined at this time. "We are watching the situation closely and want to see the ship back in service as soon as possible."

While the ship remains tied up in Halifax, it will be business as usual for the crew, with regular maintenance work continuing and salaries paid as usual, said Mr Rass. A ship agent in Halifax is making sure the crew has supplies, he said.

The Halifax Mission to Seafarers has been in contact with crew members, said co-ordinator Maggie Whittingham. She said the crew members, including some Russians, Ukrainians and Filipinos, have been in contact with family members back home.

American Feeder was using the smallish container ship for a shuttle services between Halifax and New England. It has capacity for about 600 standard-sized containers.