Two crew members of the Never given The freighter will be allowed to return home to India due to urgent personal circumstances, Egyptian officials said.
The couple work aboard the giant container ship which got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days last month.
The Egyptian Suez Canal Authority (SCA) seized the vessel and is seeking compensation of approximately $ 900 million (£ 655 million) from its Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd.
Never given was freed from the sandy banks of the canal on March 29 and has since been anchored in the Great Bitter Lake, roughly halfway along the vital trade artery.
An investigation into her grounding was due to end on Thursday, but the SCA has already publicly blamed the ship’s owners for the blockage and denied its workers were to blame.
The SCA confirmed Thursday that two sailors would be allowed to leave the ship.
He added that he “was sparing no effort to ensure the success of the negotiations” and that he was cooperating with the maritime agency to ensure that the needs of the crew were met.
Managers of the 400 m long and 220,000 tonnes Never given described the decision to impound her as “extremely disappointing”.
Ian Beveridge, its managing director, said: “The decision of the SCA to stop the vessel is extremely disappointing. From the outset, BSM and the crew on board cooperated fully with all authorities, including the SCA and their respective grounding investigations.
“This included granting access to the voyage data recorder and other materials and data requested by the SCA. The main objective of BSM is a swift resolution of this issue which will allow the ship and crew to leave the Suez Canal.
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Source: www.independent.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-15 14:42:37
