As the battle to determine the cause of Ever Given’s grounding in the Suez Canal intensifies, the ship’s captain is at a crossfire. According to a report by the Jakarta Post, the Suez Canal Authorities have suggested that the ship’s captain might have made a mistake that caused the accident.
Rudder or speed mishap
Osama Rabie, the Suez Canal Chairman said at a press conference, “Maybe the captain made a mistake in a specific (operation) request, such as the rudder or speed, which could have led to that.”
The ship got stuck in the canal on 23rd March which disrupted the global maritime trade. Now the Panama flagged vessel’s crew is being held responsible for that. Canal Authorities have already asked for 1 billion dollar compensation from the Japanese Shipping company Shoei Kisen Kaisha who owns the ship.
“Even though a Suez Canal Authority guide was aboard the Ever Given, the authority bears no responsibility for the incident, which he has estimated could incur more than $1 billion in damages,” said Rabie.
Probable ‘mistake’ by the captain
The canal authorities are saying that the guide has “a consultative role,” the real onus lies on the ship’s captain. The captain “is responsible for (operations of) the ship,” Rabie said.
“Even when orders are issued by the guide, the captain has the right to change them or use any route or speed other than what the guide says. There was no error or responsibility on the part of the Suez Canal,” he added.
However, he refused to comment on the compensation issue. The blockage which stranded more than 400ships in the area has caused a loss of transit revenue by the canal authorities.
While the investigation is still on, the Suez Canal Chairman has dismissed the stand storm as the cause of the incident.
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Source: The Jakarta Post
