(Cairo) The giant container ship Ever Givan, which has been detained in Egypt since March after blocking the Suez Canal, is due to be anchored on Wednesday after its Japanese owner concluded a compensation deal with authorities.
Pictures of the ship, which has a capacity of more than 200,000 tons, were stranded on the main sea for about a week at the end of March and have been featured on social media and in media around the world.
More than three months after the incident, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) plans to hold a “signing ceremony” and a “celebration of the departure of the ship” on Wednesday in Ismailia, where its headquarters are located.
The compensation deal was announced by Egyptian officials on Sunday, although after several weeks of negotiations the two parties did not release the agreed amount.
Ismailia Economic Court on Tuesday put an end to the ship’s security seizure.
SCA President Osama Robbie said in a televised interview on Sunday that in addition to financial compensation to Egypt, a tug with a capacity of 75 tonnes would be available from Ever Givan owner Shoai Kishen Kaisha.
Cairo initially demanded $ 16,916 million, revising its claims to $ 600 and later to $ 550 million.
The giant ship, which flew the Panamanian flag and was operated by Taiwanese shipowner Evergreen Marine Corporation, lowered its bow on the eastern side of the waterway on March 23 and swam across the canal, blocking traffic at this intersection, according to experts.
Miss to win
The six-day permit operation required more than a dozen draws and trenches to dig the bottom of the canal.
Evergreen was then sent to Big Amar Lake in the center of the canal, where Egyptian officials demanded compensation from the shipowner for loss of revenue, recovery cost or damage to the canal during the incident.
According to the SCA, Egypt lost between 12 million and 15 million a day.
In addition, according to Egyptian authority, an SCA employee died during the ship’s restoration operations. And the coastal finish was damaged.
A total of 422 ships carried 26 million tons of cargo.
According to the Insurer Alliance, losses to the global maritime trade reach between six and ten billion dollars a day.
The “initial” agreement on compensation was announced at the end of June between Egypt and the owner of Evergreen.
One of its main sources of revenue, the canal route brought about $ 5.7 billion to Egypt in 2019-2020.
Nearly 19,000 ships used the canal by 2020, an average of 51.5 vessels per day, according to the SCA.
Following the water blockade, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised his country to buy more suitable equipment to be prepared to face similar situations.
“Prone to fits of apathy. Introvert. Award-winning internet evangelist. Extreme beer expert.”
