CAIRO – Egypt has seized the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal last month, the ship’s owner said Tuesday, amid a dispute over how much compensation the country owes after the waterway shutdown for a week.
The move pressures the Japanese owner of Ever Given to negotiate a settlement that, according to Egyptian authorities, should amount to about $ 1 billion for canal damage and lost business, while the trapped ship blocked a crucial artery for global trade.
Shipowner Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. said the waterway manager seized Ever Given after receiving an order from an Egyptian court comparing the move to an arrest. ‘They still talk to us. So we will continue negotiations on compensation, ”said Ryu Murakoshi, a company spokesman. He declined to disclose the amount discussed.
Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, told state television that it was demanding payment for the costs of the rescue operation, damage to the banks of the canal and lost income. According to the court order for the seizure, the owners of the ship would not have paid $ 900 million, according to Egyptian state media.
“They don’t want to pay anything,” Mr. Rabie said of the Japanese owners. He has repeatedly denied Egypt’s responsibility for the accident.