Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Suez Canal Chief Says Human Error is to Blame for Ever Given Fiasco

Suez Canal Chief Says Human Error is to Blame for Ever Given Fiasco

The Suez Canal, a major artery for global trade, was blocked late last month after the Ever Given, a skyscraper-sized, Japanese-owned, Panama-registered, German-managed and Taiwanese-operated container ship jammed itself into the waterway’s right wall, completely halting all passage in either direction.

Egypt is leaning toward the theory that the Ever Given incident was caused by human error, Osama Rabie, chairman and managing director of the Suez Canal, has told Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.

“There is a possibility that the captain made a mistake in operation or speed regulation,” Rabie said, adding that an analysis of the available data reinforces this view.

The official added that a Suez Canal pilot was on board the ship, but stressed the blame for the accident lays solely on the captain. “The pilot gives advice, but the final decision is taken by the captain. There were no mistakes on our part and we do not bear any responsibility,” Rabie suggested.

Late last month, The Japan Times reported that the Ever Given, which is owned by the Japanese shipbuilding giant Imabari Shipbuilding, was traveling through the canal at a rate of 13.5 knots before running aground, despite the canal’s speed limit of between 7.6 and 8.6 knots.

In the incident’s aftermath, recordings captured by various marine tracking apps appeared to confirm that the Ever Given was travelling at an unusual speed before veering into the canal’s right bank on 23 March.


Rabie’s comments follow remarks he made earlier that Canal authorities would be seeking “over a billion dollars in compensation” for the accident.

The Ever Given’s black box was removed from the ship on 1 April for analysis. The device contains recordings of all radio chatter, captain’s orders and signals that the ship followed before it ran aground. Egyptian authorities had warned the ship and its owners that if they refused to cooperate with the investigation, the case would be requalified as an administrative offence, and the ship and all its cargo would be detained until a court ruling, with that process threatening to drag out as much as two years, while cooperation would allow for the issue to be resolved within a week.

Ever Given Saga


It took canal authorities six days to unjam the Ever Given, with workers and tugs working feverishly day and night to get the ship unstuck amid estimates that every hour it remained jammed up was causing the hold-up of up to $400 million in goods. Egypt itself reportedly lost $14 million in transit fees every day that the drama continued. After the ship was freed on 29 March, it took another five days for all 422 vessels with a combined tonnage of 22 million tones to pass through the canal zone en route to their destinations.

On Friday, Rabie told CNN Arabic that canal authorities were considering expanding the strategic waterway’s width, but that there was no need to deepen the channel.

It’s not clear at this point whom Egyptian authorities expect to pay compensation, with the Ever Given a prime example of the globalised state of modern shipping operations. The massive ship is owned by Imabari, but is registered in Panama, managed by German ship management company Bernhard Schulte, chartered by Taiwanese container transport company Evergreen Maritime, and has an all-Indian crew. The name of the ship’s captain has not been revealed.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×