Suez Canal authority says it has cleared backlog of shipping after Ever Given dislodged

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) on April 3 said that it has cleared the backlog of shipping that built up when the giant container ship Ever Given was wedged in the waterway. While speaking to Egypt’s Extra News TV, SCA Chairman Ossama Rabei informed that the last 61 ships, out of 422 ships that were queuing when the Ever Given was dislodged on Monday, passed through the vital trade artery on Saturday. Further, the SCA also said that in total, 85 ships had been due to pass through the canal on Saturday including 24 ships that arrived after Ever Given was dislodged. 

While speaking to the media outlet, Rabie had said that the SCA had begun an investigation on Wednesday into what caused the vessel to run aground in the canal and block the waterway for six days. He added that the investigation is going well‮ ‬and will take two more days, after which the officials will announce the results. The grounding of the Ever Given ship had halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce. 

The wedged ship had also forced some ships to take the long, alternate route around the Cape of Good Hope at Africa’s southern tip - a 5,000-kilometer detour that costs ships hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel and other costs. Others waited in place for the blockage to be over. The unprecedented shutdown even raised fears of extended delays, goods shortages and rising costs for consumers, in addition to the strain on the shipping industry, which is already under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt expects $1billion in damages 

Meanwhile, Egypt is expecting more than $1 billion in compensation after the cargo ship blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week. Rabei also warned that the ship and its cargo will not be allowed to leave Egypt if the issue of damages goes to court. In a phone interview with a pro-government TV talk show on Wednesday, the head of SCA said that the amount takes into account the salvage operation, costs of stalled traffic, and lost transit fees for the week that the Ever Given had blocked the Suez Canal. 

“It’s the country’s right,” Rabei said, without specifying who would be responsible for paying the compensation.

(Image & inputs: AP)