Ever Given underway after 106 days in Suez Canal

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The container mega-ship Ever Given embarked on its voyage to exit the Suez Canal on Wednesday after being held by the Egyptian authorities for 106 days for causing the biggest blockage in the waterway’s history when the vessel ran aground.

The Panama-flagged vessel, one of the biggest of its kind, was released by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) after it reached a compromise compensation deal with the ship’s owner Shoei Kisen Kaisha for loss of revenue from blocking the Asia-Europe commercial route for several days, the cost of salvaging the vessel and redredging the canal to free the ship from the embankment.

According to news reports, the compromise deal is expected to have been reduced from the initial claim of $900 mln to $550 mln, based on the loss of revenue estimated at $12-15 mln per day.

Throughout the crisis, Limassol-based Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) had coordinated efforts to ensure the welfare of the onboard crew, and to arrange necessary crew changes, considering the restrictions imposed on seafarer travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shipping tracker Marine Traffic reported that the ship commenced its northbound voyage at around noon Egypt time, using its engine and a speed of 8.7 knots.

The 219,000 GRT container ship’s next destination is Port Said in the Mediterranean.