Cargo Ship that Blocked Suez Canal Was Virtually Accident Free, Insiders Say

TAIPEI - Evergreen Marine Corp., the operator of the giant cargo ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal this month, normally works in a strict, top-down way that reduces the risk of mishaps, according to people familiar with the Taiwanese company.   

With the ship free as of Monday afternoon after about a week of blocking a major world shipping route, authorities are turning now to reasons for the freak accident.  Any formal announcement as to who’s at fault will hinge on an investigation and could implicate the operator, the Japanese shipowner, the weather or the canal itself. In a March 24 statement, Evergreen said gusty winds of about 56 kph had caused the ship’s course to deviate.   Evergreen had been all but free of accidents before last week, company followers say. They point to the discipline of Evergreen founder Chang Yung-fa, who died in 2016 at the age of 88.