CAIRO: Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the Japanese owner of the Ever Given cargo ship, said on Thursday that it will remain a regular and loyal customer of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).
In March, the giant container ship ran aground during its crossing of the Suez Canal, causing disruption to international traffic, particularly oil tankers.
On Wednesday, the ship resumed its journey and left the Suez Canal, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway for nearly a week.
After being dislodged, it was held by the SCA under court order while the authority sought compensation from the ship’s owner and its insurers.
After protracted negotiations, an undisclosed settlement between the parties was reached and the SCA announced that the ship would be released.
In a statement, the company said it still maintains a good relationship with the SCA and that it has been strengthened through the experience.
Shoei Kisen Kaisha also thanked the authorities and those who worked to release the ship as soon as possible.
Yukito Higaki, head of Imabari Shipbuilding Co., which owns Shoei Kisen Kaisha, said the Suez Canal is one of the main pillars of international maritime trade.
In a recorded speech during the signing ceremony of the settlement agreement with the SCA, he praised the authority’s help in floating the ship safely within seven days, noting that the company owns a large fleet of ships and will remain a regular and loyal customer of the SCA.
Higaki said that the situation was difficult, and expressed his gratitude to Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, SCA chairman, and the Egyptian people for accomplishing the task of floating the ship.
He expressed his happiness over the “excellent relationship” between the ship-owning company and the SCA that had been maintained and had even been enhanced through the success of floating the ship.
Ever Given owner vows to remain a regular customer of Suez authority
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Ever Given owner vows to remain a regular customer of Suez authority
- On Wednesday, the ship resumed its journey and left the Suez Canal
- After being dislodged, it was held by the SCA under court order while the authority sought compensation
Kurdish official says Kurds committed to deals with Damascus despite Aleppo violence
- Ahmad said that “we are committed to peace and to resolving problems through dialogue”
- She accused Syria’s authorities of “choosing the path of war” by attacking Kurdish districts in Aleppo
BEIRUT: Syria’s Kurds are committed to agreements reached with the government, a senior official from their administration told AFP on Friday, despite days of violence in the northern city of Aleppo.
The government and Kurdish forces have traded blame over who started the fighting on Tuesday, which came as they have struggled to implement a deal reached last March to merge the Kurds’ administration and military into the country’s new government.
Elham Ahmad, a senior official in the Kurdish administration in Syria’s northeast, said that “we are committed to peace and to resolving problems through dialogue. But until now, the government... does not want a solution.”
She accused Syria’s authorities of “choosing the path of war” by attacking Kurdish districts in Aleppo.
“With these attacks, the government side is seeking to put an end to the agreements that have been reached. We are committed to them and we are seeking to implement them,” she said.
The government announced a truce early Friday after days of deadly violence that has forced thousands to flee, and granted Kurdish fighters a deadline to leave two districts they control.
But the fighters were refusing to leave the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsud areas and intended to “resist” the Syrian army encircling them, a statement by the local councils of the two neighborhoods said.
Ahmad said that “the United States is playing a mediating role... we hope they will apply pressure to reach an agreement.”
A diplomatic source told AFP on Friday that US envoy Tom Barrack was headed to Damascus.
