Egyptian court adjourns Ever Given ship compensation dispute to July 11

An Egyptian court has on Sunday adjourned hearings to July 11 in a compensation dispute over the container ship Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal in March.

The decision aimed to allow the canal authority and the vessel’s owner to finalise a settlement, court sources and a lawyer told Reuters on Sunday.

The Ever Given ship had been grounded across the Egyptian canal for six days, blocking hundreds of ships and causing disruption to global trade.

In June, the ship’s Japanese owners, Shoei Kisen and its insurers announced they had reached agreement in principle in a compensation dispute with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

The SCA had initially demanded $916 million in compensation to cover salvage efforts, reputational damage and loss in revenue before reducing the claim to $550 million.

Shoei Kisen and the ship’s insurers have disputed the compensation claim and the ship’s detention under an Egyptian court order.