The ship was detained because of a legal dispute between two Chinese shipping companies. But what exactly is that dispute?
The cruise liner is operated by HNA Tourism, a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines. The company reportedly owes about 58 million US dollars to Shagang Shipping, a subsidiary of the Jiangsu Shagang Group.
Both subsidiary companies are registered in Hong Kong.
And according to their contract, any debt dispute comes under the jurisdiction of a London court. Any ship belonging to the debtor can be detained at any port, which is what happened on Friday in Jeju, South Korea.