SIMIC

The ship, having run aground and blocked the waterway for nearly a week, has been held pending settlement of the Suez Canal Authority's US$916 million damage claim.

The company was hoping that its cargo could be treated separately, and could be transferred to other vessels, allowing it to continue to its destination.

But Egyptian courts have since ruled that both the vessel and its cargo are under arrest and the company's request has been denied, according to an Evergreen spokesman, reports the Wall Street Journal.

"Customers are asking when their boxes will be delivered after the ship seizure, and the prospect of moving the containers to other ships and delivering them to the clients in Europe is now on the table.

"It won't be easy to do, but there are a number of options," the source said. "Empty ships can be deployed to pick up boxes and some can be loaded to other containerships crossing on the same route to Europe."

The Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23 while hauling 18,000 laden TEU from Asia to Europe. Salvage teams freed the ship six days later, but it remains in a holding area in the canal while the Suez Canal Authority pursues a claim of US$916 million against the ship's owner, Japan-based Shoei Kisen Kaisha.