Posted in International

Wall Street Journal: Chang Chi was seized Evergreen Marine considered unloading the cargo first

 2021年4月19日

Evergreen Marine is rumored to be considering separating the container ship from its cargo.

Evergreen Marine is considering separating the container ship from its cargo by unloading the containers on board and sending other empty vessels to pick up the cargo, according to sources familiar with the matter, which was seized by an Egyptian court over compensation for the Suez Canal blockage.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the source said, “After the Evergreen was seized, customers were asking when the containers would be delivered to their destinations; one of the options Evergreen is considering is to move the containers to other container ships and then deliver them to European customers.”

Sources close to the matter said that although it is not easy, Evergreen still has many options, including deploying empty ships to receive the containers, and also moving some of the containers to other container ships that travel through the Suez Canal.

The Evergreen ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, carrying about 18,000 loaded 20-foot containers; the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is seeking $916 million, including rescue costs and other losses, from the Evergreen’s owner, Japan’s Shoei Steamship Co.

If Evergreen decides to move the containers of the Evergreen to another cargo ship, it may have to let the Evergreen sail from its current berth to Port Said, Egypt (Port Said), but the unloading plan is quite complicated, mainly involving the Evergreen and the cargo owner’s claims and costs.

Evergreen Marine said on the 14th that it was studying the Egyptian court order to seize the Chang Chi and considering the possibility of separating the Chang Chi from the cargo.

The UK P&I Club, which insured the Chang Chi, said the SCA’s claims were “largely unfounded” and without “specific justification”. The UK P&I Club also said that there was no pollution and no casualties as a result of the grounding of the Longchamp; the container ship was freed six days after the grounding and commercial operations have resumed in the Suez Canal.