The head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said he hopes talks will soon yield an agreement with the owner and insurer of a Panamanian container ship that was impounded after it blocked the waterway for six days last month.
In a statement, Osama Rabie, the SCA chairman, expressed hopes that a solution acceptable to all parties will be found.
“The authority is dealing with all the specific requirements of the negotiation with complete flexibility, in full respect for international norms in these sorts of situations,” Rabie said.
The 400-meter Ever Given container ship ran aground and was wedged in the canal for six days last month, halting cargo traffic in the major trading link between Europe and Asia.
Rabie denied claims that the ship’s crew had been arrested, and said that the authority has no objection to crew members leaving or being replaced, provided that a sufficient number of sailors needed to secure the ship is present.
He said that the ship’s captain needs to be present as the guardian of the vessel and its cargo.
The authority has responded to all the requests made by the company regarding the crew, including allowing two crew members to leave the ship and return to their countries for personal reasons, Rabie said.
The ship’s protection and indemnity insurer, UK Club, and its technical manager, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), have said they are disappointed that the ship is being held, according to Reuters.
UK Club has filed an appeal in an Egyptian court against its detention, citing a lack of supporting evidence for the SCA’s claim.