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The mega cargo ship blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week, causing a traffic jam for 425 vessels and a debt of almost 1 billion dollars
With official status of “confiscated”, the 25 crew members of the gigantic cargo ship Ever Given, stranded in the Suez Canal, in Egypt, in March, remain on the vessel until today. The group, including, may face years of waiting until it can leave the ship due to a multimillion-dollar conflict.
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The crew is living far from home in the Egyptian country due to a multi-million dollar conflict. In the imbroglio, the ship flying the flag of Panama, owned by a holding company in Japan, operated by a company from Germany, and the crew, which in turn is from India, are involved.
Last month, between the 23rd and 29th of March, the mega ship Ever Given caused the blockage of one of the main commercial maritime routes in the world while it was stranded. The ship is currently in the Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal system.
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Ever Given crew is trapped on the vessel and could spend years there
Last week, representatives of the International Federation of Transport Workers (ITF) boarded the Ever Given to check on the health and well-being of the crew. According to them, the group on board was still in good condition and in "good spirits".
Despite this, the crew members are in a delicate position – they are anxious to know whether they will be able to return home as usual when their contracts are up.
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has already warned, however, that the gigantic ship will remain in Egypt and its crew will not be able to abandon it until the almost US$ 1 billion required for compensation for the damage caused by the grounding of the ship are paid. The value also includes the rescue operation and the “loss of reputation”, according to the BBC.
“It's natural for them to be anxious about the uncertainty of the situation,” said Abdulgani Serang of the Indian Boaters' Union, representative of the Ever Given team. Serang also indicated that the German company Bernard Schulte — which rented the vessel and hired the crew — is well known, and the sailors have adequate union agreements.
Experts, however, point out that this international litigation between all companies, insurers and government agencies can take years to resolve.
The mega cargo ship blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week causing a traffic jam of 425 vessels
The ship blocked the passage, which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, in Europe, for almost a week. Due to the problem, there was a congestion of more than 400 vessels
After the unloading, several companies sought insurance on account of the loads — 90% of them are not insured for delays, according to the specialized magazine Lloyd's List. Several corporations may not be indemnified.
According to the BBC, while the SCA argues that efforts to free the ship were costly and must be compensated, the shipowners in the United Kingdom have filed legal action against the company that operated the freighter. For experts, determining who is responsible and compensation will not be easy, in the face of accusations and lawsuits.
“There was no loss of life, no oil spills or criminal activity in the incident. It's just a civil matter about the financial implications negotiated by the Egyptian owners, charterers, insurers and authorities,” said Abdulgani Serang.
Sailor 'trapped' on abandoned ship manages to leave vessel after four years
After being trapped on a ship for 4 years, Mohammed Aisha returned to his home country, Síria. The nightmare that started on July 5, 2017 has finally come to an end. There were 48 months living practically alone aboard the freighter MV Aman, which was stuck in the Red Sea of Egypt.
Aisha was a simple crew member when her ship was stranded in the Egyptian port of Adabiya in Cairo. The security equipment documents and exploitation certificates were expired, and it would be an easy problem to solve if the owners did not decide to deny support due to financial difficulties.
Mohamed Arrachedi, who took over Aisha's case in December, argues that this should be a moment for everyone in the shipping industry to reflect. “Aisha's case has to serve to open a serious debate to prevent these abuses to seafarers on ships”, he says.
As surprising as the story is, his experience is not unique. In fact, ship abandonment is on the rise. According to the International Labor Organization, there are more than 250 active cases worldwide where crews are simply left to their own devices. The entity claims that 85 new cases were registered in 2020, double the previous year.
