Suez Canal: the Ever Given trial resumes, the fate of the ship still pending

The trial of Ever Given, the giant container ship which had blocked the Suez Canal for a week in March resumes this Sunday in Ismailia.

The economic court must rule on the protective seizure of the ship until payment of the $ 550 million in damages claimed by the Suez Canal Authority.

- Satellite image © 2021 Maxar Technologies / AFP

Text by: Alexandre Buccianti

3 min

The trial of Ever Given, the giant container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for a week in March, resumes this Sunday, June 20 in Ismailia.

The economic court must rule on the protective seizure of the ship until payment of the $ 550 million in damages claimed by the Suez Canal Authority.

In the meantime, the Ever Given is still at anchor with its cargo and crew in the Great Amer Lake on the canal.

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The canal authority and the Japanese company Shoei Kisen, owner of the Ever Given, had requested in May the postponement of the trial in an attempt to reach an amicable agreement. After claiming $ 950 million, the Canal Authority finally came down to $ 550 million in damages for the loss of profits, the cost of the bailout and the damage to the reputation of the international waterway. This is still too much for the Japanese who had offered 150 million dollars and would have recently risen to two cents.

The Canal Authority accuses the captain of

 the Ever Given

of piloting error.

To correct his course, he would have increased speed and given a series of disorderly bar thrusts.

The Japanese discard the pilot that the Suez Canal Authority puts on every ship crossing the waterway.

What will the court decide?

Either a new postponement to seek further an amicable agreement, or the confirmation of the protective seizure of Ever Given.

But according to some sources, an interim solution is possible: the owners of the container ship immediately pay $ 200 million and the Ever Given is authorized to weigh anchor.

The rest of the damages would be paid later on terms to be determined.

The seizure of the ship caused harm to its owner, but also to the commercial image of the Suez Canal.

Shipowners might prefer the detour to Cape Town rather than risk the fate of Ever Given.

In this case, a forgotten party was forgotten: the sponsors of the cargo on board the container ship.

That is to say 18,000 containers valued at more than a billion dollars in total.

Furniture maker Ikea and computer maker Lenovo alone have $ 780 million worth of merchandise.

But for smaller companies, stopping Ever Given is dramatic.

This is the case of a small distributor of restaurant kitchens which missed the post-Covid-19 reopening.

The same goes for perishable food.

The only ones who get by are garden gnomes made in Asia and who will know how to wait before reaching the soft European grass.

To listen: The Suez Canal still unmissable

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