Ever Given still won’t pay up
The Suez Canal Authority’s (SCA) reduced USD 600 mn compensation claim for the Ever Given saga is still too high, the ship’s insurer, UK Club, said, according to Reuters. “The Ever Given's owners still have not been provided with evidence that would support a claim of this size, which remains exceptionally large,” UK Club said in a statement. The SCA had originally been seeking USD 916 mn in compensation for the container vessel’s week-long blockage of the Suez Canal in March, but reduced its claim by a third, SCA boss Osama Rabie told El Hekaya’s Amr Adib over the weekend (watch, runtime: 5:25).
The vessel remains seized as the back-and-forth over compensation continues. An Ismailia court is set to review the Ever Given’s status on 22 May, after it rejected an appeal by the ship’s owner, Shoei Kisen, of a court order that allowed the SCA to impound the vessel. Shoei Kisen had said last week it wanted the owners of the 18k containers on board to help pay damages.
If Shoei Kisen doesn’t play ball with compensation rulings, the court could decide to allow the SCA to auction off the ship, sources told Reuters. The ship is currently being held in the Great Bitter Lake pending a resolution.