"Ever Given" disaster in the Suez Canal: Egypt demands billions in damages

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Freighter "Ever Given": The giant container is currently lying in the Great Bitter Lake between the northern and southern parts of the Suez Canal

Photo: Mohamed Elshahed / AP

Because of the dispute over damages, the continuation of the "Ever Given" on the Suez Canal could drag on for a long time.

The canal authority is demanding compensation of one billion dollars due to the blockade that lasted for days - and may not want to allow the continuation until an agreement is reached.

“We put a lot of effort and work into rescuing the ship.

We lost revenue every day.

We are entitled to compensation, ”said Usama Rabi, chairman of the canal authority, according to state news site Al-Ahram.

Rabi did not disclose to whom exactly the claims for damages are directed.

However, he stressed that in the past his authority and the owners of the ship had had a good relationship.

The "Ever Given" is currently located in the Great Bitter Lake between the northern and southern parts of the Suez Canal - for investigations into the cause of the accident.

Several investigations should clarify how the accident came about: Among other things, Egypt wants to evaluate the voyage data recorder and speak to the 25 crew members.

The Panamanian Maritime Authority, under whose flag the ship sails, and the company responsible for technical management, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), have also announced their own investigations.

With their billions claim, the Canal Authority refers, among other things, to losses of 14 to 15 million dollars per day as well as the days of work with dredgers and tugs to uncover the 400 meter long ship.

Rabi said there was cargo worth $ 3.5 billion on board.

"We saved the ship and its cargo."

According to its President Eric Hsieh, the Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine, which chartered the ship, is not responsible for freight arriving late.

Possible damage would be covered by insurance, said Hsieh according to the Bloomberg news agency.

The shipping company could, however, be liable for delays of other ships that had to wait hundreds of days for passage on the canal.

wit / dpa / AP