Impact of the Grounding: The Legal Waves of the

"Ever Given" Incident in March 2021:

Five fishing associations, representing hundreds of members who work in lakes connected to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, filed a legal lawsuit related to the "Ever Given* vessel.

The Request:

Impose a precautionary arrest order on the "Ever Given* ship when it docks at Port Said or any other

Egyptian port until a financial guarantee is provided.

Legal Basis for Action:

1. Declaration of Hazardous Goods: Consideration of the need to declare hazardous goods before entering Egyptian territorial waters to allow for necessary precautionary measures.

2. Ballast Water Discharge: Addressing issues of ballast water discharge from ships, which may contain foreign marine organisms affecting the local marine environment.

Additionally, other fishing associations are following the details of this legal case in the Suez Court.

Stay tuned for more updates as this significant case unfolds, impacting maritime law and the marine environment.

Breaking News in the Maritime World

After 13 years of rigorous legal battles, on February 10, 2024, the Ismailia Economic Court has made a landmark ruling in case No. 131-Economic of 2021.

The court has firmly rejected the appeal by the owners of the INCEPTION YM vessel to nullify a bank guarantee of approximately $10.27 million issued in favor of our clients.

This guarantee was put in place by the vessel's owners back on June 21, 2011, as a contingency against a potential seizure sought by our clients. The dispute stems from an incident in July 2009 when the INCEPTION YM was involved in causing oil pollution at the East Port of the Suez Canal.

This ruling upholds the environmental accountability standards essential to our maritime industry and keeps our waterways protected.

Additional Landmark Ruling

On March 19, 2023, the court delivered another pivotal verdict in favor of our clients. The lawsuit involved an enforcement seizure case worth approximately $4.73 million on the YM SUCCESS vessel. The court steadfastly rejected the owners' plea to annul the seizure initiated in September 2020. Furthermore, the court dismissed the compensation claim filed by the vessel's owners for the seizure at Port Sokhna in Suez, ensuring our clients' interests remained protected .

Incident Report: CLAUDIA GAS Grounding

On April 12, 2024, the Liberian-flagged vessel, CLAUDIA GAS (IMO 8813087), encountered a significant grounding incident in the Ras Nasrani area, located north of Sharm El Sheikh, on the western coast of the Gulf of Agaba and the Strait of Tiran in South Sinai. This unfortunate event resulted in the destruction of five distinct coral reef areas, covering a combined total of approximately 1,030 square meters. The estimated time for these coral reefs to fully regenerate to their pre-incident state is around 100 years. In response, the Environmental Affairs Agency has placed a precautionary arrest on the vessel to secure compensation for the environmental damages caused.