The Ismailia Economic Court of First Instance in Egypt has adjourned the proceedings in the claim of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) over Ever Given’s grounding until June 20, 2021.
This period is expected to allow for further settlement discussions to take place between the owners of the vessel Shoei Kisen Kaisha and the canal authority.
“Since the start of this case, the owners of the Ever Given and their insurers have been committed to an amicable and fair resolution of this matter and remain so. We look forward to further discussions and bringing this matter to a close as soon as is practicable,” the indemnity insurer of the vessel UK P&I Club said.
The Suez Canal Authority has reduced the value of the required compensation by 40% from $916 million to $550 million, provided that $200 million is paid in advance, while the remaining $350 million is paid as letters of guarantee issued by an “A class” bank in Egypt.
The offer is yet to be accepted by the owners of the ship.
In a recent statement, SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said that the investigations of the incident caused by the
Panamanian-flagged container ship Ever Given was caused by a mistake in directing the ship, which is the responsibility of the ship’s master and not the authority’s pilots, as the pilots’ opinion is advisory and non-binding.
Therefore, SCA believes the owners and operators bear the responsibility for damages that may befall the authority, its property, others, or the ship itself.
The containership was arrested on April 13, 2021 after SCA and the shipowners failed to reach a deal on the compensation claim, as the latter felt the amount to be too high and unsupported.
The ship has been anchored in the Great Bitter Lakes region since March 29, 2021, waiting for the legal battle over compensation to be resolved.
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