EGYPT has seized the giant container ship that blocked the Suez Canal as it demands compensation of almost $1billion.
The Suez Canal Authority yesterday won a court order for the Ever Given to be held until compensation was paid for lost transit fees, damage and the cost of salvage and labour.
Insurer UK P&I Club said that it received a claim for $916 million, the size of which was “largely unsupported”.
It said it was disappointed that the vessel was arrested on Tuesday.
The 400m Ever Given ran aground last month blocking the vital trade channel for six days while it was refloated.
Egypt says it lost $15 million in transit fees each as the canal is a vital through route for ships coming from Asia and heading to Europe and avoids the long trip around the Cape of Good Hope.
Since the ship was freed two weeks ago it has been anchored at a midway point called Great Bitter Lake.
The ship had been expected to resume it's voyage to Hamburg and a scheduled stop at the Suffolk port of Felixstowe this weekend had also been planned.
But that has now been scrapped and even now almost a fortnight later there are still hold ups in the supply of goods from the Far East to Europe as several container ships decided to sail around Africa adding days onto the journeys.
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