Court Refuses to Release Ever Given Container Ship

An Egyptian court has rejected an appeal to release the Ever Given, the large container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March.

Egyptian authorities impounded the 400m-long vessel, one of the largest container ships in service in the world, after the week-long ordeal that halted billions of dollars in global trade.

The Ever Given’s owner filed an appeal on April 22 in hopes of overturning the decision, which was upheld on Tuesday by Ismailia’s Economic Court.

The Suez Canal Authority said the vessel will not be allowed to leave the country until compensation is settled with its owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. The agency has demanded $916 million, about €763 million, to cover the salvage operation as well as the costs of stalled canal traffic and lost transit fees.

Ever Given, a Panama-flagged container ship, was on its way to the port of Rotterdam on March 23 when it slammed into the bank of a single-lane stretch of the canal. The blockade was located about 6 kilometers north of the southern entrance.

The vessel was freed six days later after a huge salvage effort. It wasn’t until a high tide came that the vessel was freed and traffic was able to flow properly.

Hundreds of ships were held up during the blockage, with many choosing to take the long and expensive alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope to reach their next port.