Ever Given, the large container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for over a week was freed on March 29. In a latest development, Egyptian authorities have now said that they won’t release the ship until its owners agree to pay a compensation of one billion dollars (Rs 7505 crores)
Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, on Thursday (April 8), told state television in Egypt that the vessel will remain there until investigations are complete and compensation is paid, reported the Wall Street Journal.
“We hope for a speedy agreement. The minute they agree to compensation, the vessel will be allowed to move,” he said.
On Thursday, Rabie hadn’t revealed what a amount the authorities were seeking as compensation but he’d earlier said that Egypt would demand USD 1 billion for the cost of the operation to free the ship- the loss of transit fees—an important source of foreign currency for Egypt—and other costs from the blocking of the canal.
The…
