A settlement has been reached between the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and Ever Given owners, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., giving the go-ahead for the ship’s release, allowing the ship and its crew to continue on its journey.
The 400-metre-long vessel grounded in the Suez Canel in March, wedging across the waterway and blocking traffic for six days.
At a ceremony in the Suez town of Ismailia today, an official contract was signed permitting the ship to leave the Great Bitter Lake section of the canal, where it had been impounded by the SCA after being re-floated on March 29th. ICS notes with relief that the mainly Indian crew are now able to be relieved.
ICS thanks all parties for their cooperation during the negotiation process.
Guy Platten, secretary general of ICS, commented: “We are grateful for the sake of the ship’s crew that the parties have reached a successful settlement.
“You cannot put a price on the wellbeing of seafarers. The Ever Given crew is now free to continue their vital role in the global supply chain, and also travel home to their loved ones after three months of uncertainty.
“The Ever Given incident shines a light on the importance of shipping to the global supply chain and the vital role that seafarers play in supporting the 14 trillion USD worth of trade each year.
“I am proud of the way that ICS has been able to work quietly behind the scenes to bring the parties together and reach a mutually agreeable settlement. This is good news for the Egyptian authorities, good news for the owners and importantly good news for the crew.
“The Suez incident cost $5.1 billion a day in world trade, however, this was a drop in the bucket in comparison to the financial and emotional costs that the entire industry has been having to deal with due to the draconian travel restrictions imposed on seafarers by all governments.
Now that the Ever Given issue has been successfully concluded we must not forget the 1.5 million seafarers across the world.
“There are many lessons to be learned from the in-depth inquiry still underway, but we are pleased to see the Ever Given sailing again.”
