CAIRO: Egypt seized container ship that blocked the Suez Canal last month, the ship’s owner said on Tuesday, amid a dispute over the amount of compensation due to the country after the weekly closure of the road fluvial.
The move increases pressure on Japanese owner Ever Give to negotiate a deal that Egyptian authorities say would cost about $ 1 billion in canal damage and loss of business while the trapped ship blocked a critical artery for world trade .
Shipowner Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. said the waterway manager seized Ever Ever after obtaining an order from an Egyptian court, comparing the move to an arrest. “They are still talking to us. That way, we will continue negotiations on compensation, “said Ryu Murakoshi, a spokesman for the company. He declined to disclose the amount under discussion.
Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, told state television that he demanded payment of the costs of the rescue operation, damage to the canal bank and loss of revenue. The confiscation court order claimed that the owners of the ship did not pay $ 900 million, according to Egyptian state media.
“They don’t want to pay anything,” Rabie said of the Japanese owners. He has repeatedly denied Egypt’s responsibility for the accident.