The cargo ship that spent nearly a week blocking the Suez Canal was seized by Egypt this week.
Egyptian authorities impounded the Ever Given as they argue with the ship’s Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, over how much the company owes for costs associated with the damage to and blocking of the busy shipping route, according to multiple reports.
“The vessel is now officially impounded,” Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, told Egypt’s state-run television on Monday.
An unnamed official told the Associated Press that the order to impound the ship was issued by a court the same day in the city of Ismailia, Egypt, and that the vessel’s crew was informed on Tuesday. The official added that prosecutors opened a separate investigation into what led the ship to get stuck.
EVER GIVEN FALLOUT THREATENS SHIPPING EVEN AFTER DISLODGING
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the company that manages the ship, confirmed the seizure.
“The [Suez Canal Authority’s] decision to arrest the vessel is extremely disappointing,” Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement CEO Ian Beveridge said in a statement on Wednesday. “From the outset, BSM and the crew on board have cooperated fully with all authorities, including the SCA and their respective investigations into the grounding. This included granting access to the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) and other materials and data requested by the SCA.”
“They are still talking to us, so we will continue negotiations on compensation,” a spokesman for Shoei Kisen Kaisha said of Egyptian authorities, according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to Rabie, Shoei Kisen Kaisha doesn’t wish to pay “anything.” Egypt is reportedly seeking nearly $1 billion for damage to the canal and lost business.
The Europe-bound ship and its 25-person crew of Indian nationals are anchored in Great Bitter Lake in Egypt “until an agreement between the SCA and the vessel’s owner has been reached,” the Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement statement said.
“They are safe, in good health, and have been working closely with all parties involved to re-float the vessel,” it added.
Last month, the Ever Given became lodged between the banks of the canal following a powerful sandstorm that brought winds in excess of 45 mph, though Rabie insisted that the weather conditions were “not the main reasons” for the ship’s grounding.
“There may have been technical or human errors,” he told reporters at the time.
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The Washington Examiner contacted Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement for more information about the crew and timeline of events but did not immediately receive a response.
