Suez Channel Chairman Osama Rabi told Youm7 on Tuesday that the MV EVER GIVEN container ship had been officially confiscated because the operating company was unwilling to pay $ 900 million in compensation.
Compensation would compensate for the losses incurred by the international waterway and the costs associated with the overheating of the vessel after its disembarkation for six days, starting on 23 March.
After the release on March 29, the ship was escorted to the Bitter Lakes for technical inspection, interrogation of the crew and analysis of the black box.
The head of the Suez Canal said that the results of the investigation would be made public on April 15.
The head of the Suez Canal, Osama Rabi, said on Sunday that 61 percent of oil tanker shipments pass through Egypt’s international waterway.
However, Rabi added that container vessels and bulk carriers still make up the majority of vessels crossing the Suez Canal, noting that the incentives offered by the authorities in 2020 have led to an increase of eight per cent of vessels using the canal, despite COVID- 19.
The official stressed that the Suez Canal is crossed annually by about 18,000 ships and 17,000 employees.
Rabi noted that the government buys tugs with a capacity of 250 to 300 tons. The first was received on April 9, and the other will be delivered in August. Their height is 147.5 meters, and they can dig to a depth of 35 meters.
The dredger delivered on Friday is called Mohab Mamish, and the one that arrives in the summer is called Hussein Tantawi.
The purchase of dredgers is part of the government’s development plan until 2026. This includes the development of the navy, including dredgers, tugs and boats used to transport guides.
The chairman noted on Thursday that the number of ships crossing the Suez Canal every day is 85, and 84 have crossed in the previous 24 hours, carrying the heaviest loads since the launch of the waterway in 1869, as it weighs 6.1 million tons.
Rabi also noted that 422 ships crossed when the MV EVER GIVEN was still a mile away. They were waiting in Port Said, Suez and the Bitter Lakes. In this context, he confirmed that the accident had nothing to do with the depth, as it occurred at the deepest point of the canal. The official added that all tugs used to remelt the container ship were Egyptian, except for one that was leased from the Netherlands.