Federal Maritime Commission orders full review of casino ship complaint

Friday, March 24, 2000 | 4:12 a.m.

Operators of the 387-foot Tropic Sea want to pick up passengers at the State Ports Authority terminal and they want the federal agency to order the ship be given access.

The Ports Authority has said its policy is to refuse space to ships built mainly for gambling.

Administrative Law Judge Norman Kline dismissed the complaint in January, saying that as a state agency, the Ports Authority was immune from private lawsuits. However, the maritime commission decided to review the decision and on Thursday ordered Kline to hear the merits of the case.

The Tropic Sea is owned by Jubilee of the Bahamas, which is controlled by Fred Collins of Greenville, South Carolina's largest operator of video gambling machines.

The ship has been chartered to South Carolina Maritime Services, which has said it is losing $18,000 per day without access to the terminal.

M.J. Shaw, director of operations for South Carolina Maritime Services, has said the ship is not a gambling ship and that it has overnight accommodations for 200.

The ship has been put up for sale by its owner that, according to an Internet notice, wants to get out of the oceangoing gaming business, The (Charleston) Post and Courier reported. Sealed bids are due April 27.