[THE INVESTOR]  About one-third of the container ships operated by ailing Hanjin Shipping have completed their cargo unloading at ports around the globe as of Sept 28, the troubled shipper said on Sept 19, with 34 container ships still stranded at sea.

Of the 97 container ships operated by the financially shaky shipper, 28 have unloaded goods. Hanjin Shipping said it is also in negotiations to begin unloading in New York, Singapore and Mexico next week.

Hanjin Shipping is also set to return a total of 17 ships to their owners in the coming weeks as they plan to end leasing contracts.

Hanjin Shipping’s receivership earlier this month sent ripples through the global shipping network with more than half of its ships stranded at sea out of fears that they may be seized by creditors.

The ships were also blocked from entering ports in the United States, China, Canada and many other nations, as lashing service firms and port workers refused to work for the shipper out of concerns that they would not be paid.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)