Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced on Sunday that it has reached an agreement to release the giant container ship Ever Given on Wednesday. The ship was detained after blocking the Suez Canal, a crucial waterway for international trade, in late March.
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The agreement was concluded with the owner of the ship, SCA said. A ceremony is planned for Wednesday to celebrate “the signing of the agreement” and “the departure of the ship”. The Ever Given was chained by the Egyptian authorities autoriteiten
The vessel, with a capacity of more than 200,000 tons, ran aground on March 23, blocking shipping on the Suez Canal, where nearly 10 percent of trade passes by sea, experts say.
The blockade lasted six days. According to SCA, Egypt lost 12 to 15 million dollars (about 9.8 to 12.5 million euros) per day.
In late June, SCA announced a preliminary agreement between Egypt and the owner of the Ever Given on damages, after intense negotiations involving the ship’s insurers. The amount of the fees was the main point of contention with the owner, the Japanese company Shoei Kisen.
Cairo had initially demanded 916 million dollars (767 million euros) and then lowered the amount to 600 and 550 million dollars (about 461 million euros). In total, 422 ships loaded with 26 million tons of merchandise were blocked in March.
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