‘Ever Given’ contracts run out for three crew members

The technical managers of the Ever Given, the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March, asked the canal authority to allow three of the 25 crew to leave the ship.

“The Suez Canal Authority has indicated that they will allow crew members to leave the vessel upon expiry of their contracts, and requests to allow three crew members to depart have been submitted to the SCA for their approval on this basis,” a representative of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) told The National.

The 400-metre vessel blocked the canal for six days and was freed on March 29.

It was detained in the Great Bitter Lake, about halfway along the canal, after the SCA asked an Egyptian court for a seizure order.

The authority has claimed $916 million in damages from the ship’s owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha of Japan. Negotiations are taking place.

SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said on Monday that the authority was keen to make the negotiations with the owner and insurer UK P&I Club a success.

Two crew members were allowed to leave the ship this month and return home for urgent personal reasons.

The three crew members expect to be relieved of duty when their contracts end.

“Crew members who depart will be replaced to maintain minimum safe manning standards for the vessel,” the BSM representative said.

Shoei Kisen filed an appeal against the ship’s detention to be heard on May 4

“It would just allow the vessel to continue on her voyage, while negotiations in regards to the claim continue, so the cargo can get to the people who need it and the crew can continue with their jobs,” a representative of UK P&I Club told The National.

UK P&I covers third-party liability insurance, which includes “things such as damage to the canal – if indeed there was damage to the canal” and loss of revenue, the representative said.

The SCA calculated that it missed out on about $15m of transit fees each day.

UK P&I said the claim also included a $300m salvage bonus and another $300m for loss of reputation.

“The SCA has not provided a detailed justification for their extraordinarily large claim,” the insurer’s representative said.

Mr Rabie had told TV channel Sada Elbalad that the figure is an estimate of losses linked to transit fees, damages incurred during the dredging and salvage efforts, the cost of the equipment and labour.

UK P&I Club said it made a “generous offer” to the authority on April 12, which was rejected.

The insurer declined to give an exact figure, but said: “We’re still some way apart.”