Suez Canal at Fault in Ship's Grounding, Its Owner Says  

CAIRO - The owner of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March blamed the canal authority for the grounding, amid a dispute over the vessel's detention and a compensation claim, a lawyer representing the owner said Saturday.

The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, became jammed across the canal in high winds on March 23 and remained grounded for six days, blocking traffic in both directions and disrupting global trade. The vessel has since been held in a lake between two stretches of the canal as the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) pursues a $916.5 million claim against Japanese owner Shoei Kisen. An appeals chamber at Ismailia Economic Court held hearings Saturday on the ship's detention, which the SCA is seeking to uphold following an appeal by the owner, as well as the SCA's financial claim.