Ever Given was struggling to steer due to its high speed and size of its rudder, and could have chosen not to enter the waterway in bad weather, Suez Canal told Reuters.
The comments by Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie came during a dispute regarding the compensation with the owner and insurers of the Ever Given container ship.
The Ever Given got stuch on March 23, stopping traffic in both directions and affecting global trade.
A legal team for Japanese owner Shoei Kisen disputes the vessel’s detention and the compensation claim, claiming that the SCA was at fault for allowing the vessel to enter and not providing tugs.
On the other hand, Mr. Rabie said the captain could have held the ship back. He explained that the captain knows the capabilities of his ship and could have chosen not to enter.
According to Mr. Rabbie, the ship was travelling at about 25 kilometres per hour, above the 8-9kmh appropriate for the canal’s narrow southern channel.
Mr. Rabbie also added that “there were a lot of technical faults, among those was that the rudder’s size was not appropriate to the size of the ship.”
Nevertheless, a member of Shoei Kisen’s legal team told Reuters that the authority had failed to prove any fault by the ship.
The SCA sought compensation of $916 million for the blockage in court but later reduced its request to $550 million, including a $200 million deposit to secure the ship’s release.
