EVER GIVEN OWNER BLAMES SUEZ CANAL AUTHORITY FOR GROUNDING

The owners of the Ever Given, the container ship that stopped world trade after it got stuck in the Suez Canal, has blamed the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) for the events that lead up to the blockage.

On 23 March, rough winds caused the Ever Given, one of the world's biggest container ships, to get jammed in the canal, blocking traffic in both directions.

The ship is now in the possession of Egyptian authorities, and is being held in a lake between the two stretches of the canal. The authorities refuse to let the ship go until its Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, pays R8.3 billion in compensation owed to the SCA.

Now, the owners of the ship have submitted a recording from the ship that showed several disagreements between SCA pilots and its control centre over whether the ship should pass through the canal, Reuters reports.

The lawyers representing the owners said the Ever Given should have been chaperoned by at least two tug boats, but that didn't happen. The Japanese company wants R1.3 million from the SCA for initial compensation losses linked to the ship's detainment.

The crew has been allowed to return home while the ship is still being held by Egyptian authorities.

Image credit: CNN