Swiber Marine Mexico, S.A. de C.V., a Mexican maritime company, has filed a lawsuit against Dan-Bunkering (America) Inc., accusing the Texas-based corporation of orchestrating a fraudulent scheme to wrongfully seize its vessel, the M/V SWIBER ADA. The complaint was filed on April 16, 2025, in the District Court of Harris County, Texas.
According to Swiber Marine Mexico's petition, Dan-Bunkering allegedly engaged in deceitful practices by manipulating legal proceedings to obtain an unlawful seizure of the M/V SWIBER ADA. This dispute traces back to January 30, 2018, when Swiber's affiliate and Ranger Offshore, Inc. entered into a charter agreement for the vessel. Under this agreement, Ranger was solely responsible for fuel payments. However, Dan-Bunkering purportedly pursued claims against Swiber despite knowing that it had no contractual obligation regarding fuel purchases made by Ranger.
The situation escalated when Dan-Bunkering filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas on January 28, 2020. They accused Ranger of failing to pay for fuel but also implicated Swiber and sought seizure of the M/V SWIBER ADA under admiralty rules—a move Swiber argues was baseless since they were not party to any relevant agreements with Dan-Bunkering. The amended complaint even falsely claimed that the vessel would soon be within Texas jurisdiction despite evidence to the contrary.
Swiber further alleges that without notifying U.S. federal courts, Dan-Bunkering initiated another lawsuit in Mexico on August 20, 2020. This led to the wrongful seizure of their vessel on September 11, 2020. After prolonged legal battles and appeals in Mexican courts—wherein it was determined that the seizure was improper—the vessel was released on December 9, 2021.
In light of these events, Swiber accuses Dan-Bunkering of acting with malice and gross negligence resulting in significant damages including loss of use and market value of their vessel along with lost business opportunities and profits. They seek over $5 million in damages alongside exemplary and punitive damages as compensation for their losses.
Representing Swiber Marine Mexico are attorneys Francis I. Spagnoletti and Marcus R. Spagnoletti from Spagnoletti Law Firm based in Houston, Texas. The case is being presided over by Judge Nelson Cuero under Case ID: 2025-26931.