TheCable

A court in Egypt has upheld an earlier ruling to detain Ever Given, a mega-container ship that ran aground Suez Canal for six days in March this year.

The ship had disrupted one of the world’s busiest shipping channels and the shortest shipping route between Asia and Europe.

The court announced the ruling on Tuesday following a legal appeal filed by UK Club, an insurer of the cargo ship, on April 22 over the detention of the vessel by Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

Since the 400-metre-long vessel was finally freed on March 29, it has been held over a $900 million compensation from its Japanese owners and only two crew members have left the ship, while 23 crew, all Indian nationals, remain on board.

The insurer said the move to file an appeal was necessary as it had not been possible to resolve the issue without continued involvement of the Egyptian courts.

“The appeal against the arrest was made on several grounds, including the validity of the arrest obtained in respect of the cargo and the lack of supporting evidence for the (Suez Canal Authority’s) very significant claim.”

Responding to the insurer’s claim, Osama Rabie, SCA chairman, said the ship’s crew were not detained and were free to leave or be replaced, as long as the captain stays on board as the guardian of the vessel and its cargo.

“The (SCA) is dealing with all the specific requirements of the negotiation with complete flexibility, in full respect for international norms in these sorts of situations,” Rabie said.

The waterway operator further said investigations into the cause of the grounding of the vessel is still ongoing, alongside efforts to reach an agreement with the ship’s insurer and owner.