(BBC) – A huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March – disrupting global trade – is finally leaving the waterway after Egypt signed a compensation deal with its owners and insurers.
Witnesses say the Ever Given weighed anchor shortly after 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) and headed north towards the Mediterranean escorted by tugs.
The ship has been impounded for three months near the canal city of Ismailia.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Egypt had demanded $550m (£397m).
The 193km (120-mile) Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea at the canal’s northern end to the Red Sea in the south and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.
But the vital waterway was blocked when the 400m-long (1,312ft) Ever Given became wedged across it after running aground amid high winds. Global trade was disrupted as hundreds of ships were stuck in the traffic jam.
The container ship was refloated following a six-day salvage operation that involved a flotilla of tug boats and dredging vessels. One person was killed during the operation.
Since then, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has been seeking compensation from the Ever Given’s Japanese owner Shoei Kisen for the cost of the salvage operation, damage to the canal’s banks and other losses.
The SCA initially asked for $916m compensation, including $300m for a salvage bonus and $300m for loss of reputation. But UK Club – which insured Shoei Kisen for third-party liabilities – rejected the claim, describing it as “extraordinarily large” and “largely unsupported”.
The SCA later lowered its demand to $550m. The final settlement, which has not been revealed, was agreed a few days ago and signed on Wednesday to coincide with the ship’s release.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, SCA lawyer Khalid Abubakr said the authority was committed to keeping the terms of the agreement confidential.
In a recorded message broadcast at the event, Yukito Higaki of Imabari shipbuilding, of which Shoei Kisen is a subsidiary, said the company would continue to be “a regular and loyal customer” of the Suez Canal Authority.
