Oceanic Tug: The Ship Seized with $200 Million in Drugs Sailed to Colombia and was Later Intercepted in the Panama Pacific

Oceanic Tug, the vessel seized with 13.5 tons of cocaine valued at $200 million, intended to engage in the bunkering business, but the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) did not issue it the corresponding license.   “I didn’t have the capacity to do that kind of business,” said AMP administrator Luis Roquebert, this Thursday, November 13, when he accompanied President José Raúl Mulino at his weekly press conference.  “Later, when it was pointed out that the vessel did not behave that way, it was detained and remained anchored in Amador for some time,” Roquebert added. What is known is that the Oceanic Tug subsequently sailed to Colombia and, shortly afterward, on November 11, was intercepted in the Panamanian Pacific by agents of the National Aeronaval Service (SENAN), who were patrolling the area. 

Roquebert indicated that the vessel entered the Panama Merchant Marine Registry in 2022, when it was owned by Dolphin Tugs Inc., a company created in May 2020 and currently chaired by Pablo Torres Chong.  Oceanic Tug sailed under the Panamanian flag until May 2024, when it was registered in Tanzania. It also changed ownership: Torres told La Prensa that, in March 2023, his company sold the vessel to Power H. Holding Corporation (a now-dissolved company), which in turn transferred it to Pacific Tug & Barge Operators Corp.  Power H. Holding Corp. was created on March 9, 2023, and dissolved a year and a half later, on August 21, 2025. It was chaired by Manuel Antonio Joannou Chávez. The other directors and officers were María Joannou Chávez and Miguel Ángel Benjamín Joannou.

The resident agent was the firm Maritime Lawyers Bureau.  Pacific Tug & Barge was incorporated the following day, March 10, 2023. Its board of directors consists of Tairett Torchía Trucco (president and legal representative), Melanie Valdés Lodge (secretary), and Sindy de Gracia (treasurer). Andrés Mock Ho Usuga is listed as the resident agent. Torres doesn’t recall how much he sold the ship for, although he emphasizes that when the vessel was his property, it had a different name: Bullwark II . He also denies that when the ship was “anchored” in Amador, as the AMP administrator alleges, it was actually docked at the floating pier operated by Dolphin Terminal (another of his companies) on Perico Island.  The AMP has asked Dolphin Terminal to leave, as it does not have a permit or concession for the seabed.  Both administrator Roquebert and President Mulino have said that they will provide all the documentation required by the Public Prosecutor’s Office as part of its investigations.  Ten people have been arrested.