The owners of the "Ever Given" vessel, which caused the Suez Canal to be closed for nearly a week and disrupted global trade and markets, expect to face "hundreds or thousands" of lawsuits. The potential scale of future litigation against the ship's owners was revealed in a court session in London on Tuesday, where attorneys secured a court order to suspend any potential lawsuits for two months.
The court's decision came after two companies affiliated with Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd, the owner of the container ships, as well as the Evergreen Group, which operates the "Ever Given" under a long-term agreement, asked a judge in London to halt any potential claims. Earlier this year, the ship's owners obtained another order limiting some claims against the ship to £84 million ($116 million).
**Disruption of Navigation**
The 400-meter-long vessel ran aground in the Suez Canal for several days in March, resulting in the closure of the waterway in both directions and disrupting global trade. The ship resumed its journey outside the canal last week and left Egyptian waters on Wednesday.
Attorney Stuart Buckingham stated in the London court session that the owners expect Evergreen to file a lawsuit and anticipate the potential for thousands of additional legal actions from individual cargo owners against the ship's owners. He noted that the suspension of proceedings would allow for gathering similar and overlapping claims together, reducing legal costs and court time.
Buckingham mentioned that another hearing would take place in two months when the owners will be prepared with more information regarding any filed claims, allowing them to have a " clearer picture." He stated in the lawsuit, "The owners' position is that they are not responsible for the grounding incident or its consequences."
The owners' attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Evergreen's attorney declined to comment. Any claims filed in the UK are likely to take years before reaching a resolution. Some might be resolved through arbitration, which is generally a private alternative to lengthy and costly litigation.
