Maersk And Ever Given Operator Reach Settlement Over Suez Canal Dispute

A settlement has been reached between Maersk Group and the Danish government regarding the Ever Given, a large container ship grounded in 2021 and closed the Suez Canal for six days.

The massive Danish shipping company sued unknown parties, requesting damages in the neighbourhood of $45 million. For months, maritime trade was hampered by the Ever Given incident, which attracted international attention.

On March 23, 2021, the ship, owned and operated by Evergreen Marine Corp., became lodged in the Suez Canal, blocking all marine traffic because of its size beyond its width.

The Suez Canal Authority put a lot of work into the salvage operation, using several tugs, cutter suction dredgers, and shore-based excavating equipment. On March 29, the ship was successfully refloated.

Approximately 400 ships, including 50 associated with Maersk, encountered disruptions during the six-day outage. Maersk reacted by suing the ship’s operator, Evergreen, and owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, to recover damages for the losses.

However, Evergreen disclaimed liability, claiming that since the ship was leased under a time-charter agreement, the vessel owner was accountable for all costs and liabilities.

The verdict in the lawsuit was significant for the liner shipping sector because it might have established a standard for other impacted carriers to pursue claims of a similar nature. Maersk affirmed the lawsuit’s withdrawal, signifying an agreement reached outside court. The parties involved in the settlement, as well as its specifics, are still unknown.

In a London court, Boskalis, the proprietor of salvor SMIT Salvage, also sought compensation from Shoei Kisen Kaisha for its contribution to the release of the Ever Given.

It was reported that the salvage job had an estimated value of $25–50 million. In July, SMIT Salvage and Shoei Kisen Kaisha responded to the burning car carrier Fremantle Highway off the coast of the Netherlands, even though there was a legal dispute.

Reference: Bloomberg

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