Suez Canal: millions of euros of goods still blocked

kings months after the spectacular blockade of the Suez Canal by Ever Given, the crisis is far from over for many companies. The furniture giant Ikea and the Chinese Lenovo are still deprived of a large stock, which was inside one of the containers on board the stranded boat. In March, he blocked the passage for six days in the canal, which sees pass about 10% of maritime trade.

The vessel, with a capacity of 20,000 containers and 220,000 tonnes, operated by the Taiwanese shipowner Evergreen, has thus caused significant delays in the delivery of certain goods through its problems. Ikea declares to CNN, without giving too much details, that a significant number of goods are on board, ditto for Lenovo who explains that they are working to recover the stock as quickly as possible. The British company EasyEquipment, for its part, has no marine insurance for a stock of commercial refrigerators worth 100,000 dollars, intended for restaurants pending their reopening a few months ago.

Egypt asks for $ 900 million

The total value of the affected goods differs according to estimates: from $ 3 billion according to Jonathan Owens, an expert at the University of Salford, to $ 9.6 billion according to Lloyd’s List, the British journal on maritime transport.

The Ever Given has been towed to the Great Bitter Lake in the middle of the canal, while negotiations continue for compensation between the boat owner and the Egyptian authorities. Questioned by CNN, several companies whose merchandise is still blocked on board fear not having access to it for months, even years and wonder about their status in the negotiations between Egypt and the shipowner, of which they are discarded. If Evergreen were to pay an astronomical sum to the Egyptian state, which has already estimated its losses at several billion dollars and claims 900 million in the negotiations, the companies concerned could be put to contribution.