Maersk files a lawsuit against Evergreen over Suez Canal grounding

COPENHAGEN : Maersk said on Monday it had filed a lawsuit against the owner and operator of container ship Ever Given, which blocked the Suez Canal for six days in 2021, claiming compensation for delays caused by the incident. 

The Danish company did not disclose the size of the claim or when it was filed. “Maersk has raised a claim against Evergreen, the ship’s owners and the technical manager at the Danish Maritime and Commercial High Court, because Maersk suffered losses in connection with Ever Given’s blocking of the Suez Canal,” a spokesperson told. 

Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, became jammed across the canal in high winds for six days in March 2021, halting traffic in both directions and disrupting global trade. 

The ship is chartered by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen from Japan’s Shoei Kisen, which owns the ship. 

“We can confirm that Maersk has filed a claim against Evergreen, the ship’s owner and the vessel’s technical manager at the Danish Maritime and Commercial High Court. The claim is related to the losses Maersk suffered during Ever Given’s blockage of the Suez Canal in March 2021,” a spokesperson said.

The 400-m-long, 20,388 teu Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, 2021, blocking the key trading artery between Europe and Asia. Hundreds of ships backed up in a queue behind the Ever Given, and some vessels even took an unusual detour, down around the Cape of Good Hope. Maersk did not say how many of its ships were delayed at the time.

Japan’s Shoei Kisen owns Ever Given, which is chartered by the Taiwanese carrier Evergreen. The Copenhagen-based liner giant did not disclose the size of the claim, with local media in Denmark suggesting the total is in excess of $40m.

“We cannot confirm the mentioned amount,” Maersk said.