Maersk files claim against Evergreen and Shoei Kisen over Ever Given grounding

Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk has filed a lawsuit against the owner and operator of the containership Ever Given, which blocked the Suez Canal for six days in 2021, seeking compensation for delays caused by the incident.

“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 told Splash.

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.