The Suez Canal Authority, the operator of the key waterway that was the focus of global attention last month in the wake of the grounding of a huge container ship, has permitted two of the arrested ship’s crew members to leave the vessel for their country due to urgent personal circumstances, the Authority has said.

Crew’s arrest

All 25 crew members on board ‘Ever Given’, the ship that ran aground in the waterway that connects Asia with Europe and crippled global trade for close to a week, are Indian nationals.

The ship was seized by a court in Egypt on April 13 and the SCA has demanded $916 million in claims from the ship owner, to cover losses during the grounding of the ship, including $300 million for salvage bonus and $300 million for loss of reputation.

SCA said that chairman and managing director Osama Rabie has consented to a request submitted by the ship owing company “to permit two of the crew members to leave the vessel to their country due to urgent personal circumstances”.

Rabie said that the investigation related to the grounding of the Panama-flagged vessel was continuing alongside negotiations with the ship owing company as well as the insurance company “to reach a convenient agreement for all parties”.

The SCA was putting all efforts to guarantee the success of the negotiations and co-operate to fulfill all the needs of the crew of the impounded vessel at the Great Bitter Lakes zone until the completion of the investigations, it said.

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