Ship manager will be appointed to manage Equanimity, says lawyer

A manager will be needed to take care of the needs of the captain and the crew members.

The Equanimity arrived in Malaysia yesterday.

PORT KLANG: Lawyer Jeremy Joseph who is representing 1MDB said a qualified and a competent ship manager will be appointed in due course to manage the luxury superyacht Equanimity which is currently in Port Klang.

He said a manager was needed to take care of the needs of the captain and the 17 crew members of the yacht, which arrived here yesterday.

“What is important now is to make sure we appoint a qualified and competent ship manager (company) to manage the vessel during the seizure period.

“We also want to ensure that security is tight for the vessel at the Boustead Cruise Centre terminal,” he said after attending a two-hour long meeting with representatives from the police and Malaysian navy at the centre here today.

The yacht, reportedly worth RM1 billion, arrived at the centre yesterday and is believed to be part of the assets purchased using funds from 1MDB.

Its purported owner, businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, is also being sought to assist in the investigation into 1MDB.

Joseph said the appointment of the ship manager would be done through a court process.

He also said that the Equanimity would be sold through a court process called judicial sale to the highest bidder.

“We don’t want to keep the vessel for too long because the longer you keep it, the more it will depreciate in value,” he said.

Joseph is part of a six-lawyer team led by Sitpah Selvaratnam, who was appointed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Meanwhile, Equanimity’s captain Oystein Senneseth said he and his 17 crew members were doing well and they were free to move anywhere.

He said he would do the necessary to maintain the yacht.

“In the beginning, everyone was a little worried as there were guns and policemen on board… but now they are more relaxed,” he said.

The captain also thanked the Malaysian authorities for giving them the necessary assistance. -FMT