Egypt’s Ismailia Economic Court closes case of Ever Given Ship

CAIRO – 11 July 2021: The case file of the Panama-flagged Ever Given vessel, which was kept for more than three months in the Suez Canal due to causes of a grounding accident, has been closed after the Ismailia Economic Court nonsuited the case on Sunday.

 

The Ismailia Economic Court nonsuited on Sunday the lawsuit that was filed by the Suez Canal Authority to judicially uphold a seizure decision imposed on the ship until paying compensation, an official at the Suez Canal Authority told Egypt Today.

 

The case was nonsuited five days after the Suez Canal Authority and the shipowners struck a confidential deal with the insurance company, per which the owners would pay an amount of money and gift the SCA a tugboat.

 

The MV EVER GIVEN went aground on March 23, 2021, in the 151st km of the Suez Canal, where vessels pass in both directions, causing the suspension of the international maritime navigation through the canal for six days. 

 

After it was freed on March 29, the ship was escorted to the Bitter Lakes for technical inspection, crew interrogation, and black box analysis. 

 

Afterward, an Egyptian economic court in Ismailia issued a decision to seize the ship at the canal until paying compensation for damages it caused due to the grounding, besides the costs of the salvage operation.

 

SCA first demanded compensation of $916 million in losses and salvation costs incurred after Ever Given ran aground for six days.  It reduced its claim twice, most recently in May when it said it demanded $550 million. However, both sides announced that they abide by the terms of confidentiality in the struck deal.