Iran Press/Africa: “The amount of damage and losses, and how much the dredgers consumed, will be calculated. Estimates, God willing, will reach a billion dollars and a little bit more, this is the country’s right,” the chairman, Osama Rabie, said.
The six-day blockage threw global supply chains into disarray after the 400-meter-long ship became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.
"The amount of damage and losses, and how much the dredgers consumed, will be calculated," authority chairman Osama Rabie said.
"Estimates, God willing, will reach a billion dollars and a little bit more."
Formal investigations into how the giant container ship ran aground are now underway.
Lead investigator Sayed Sheasha said the investigation would include examining the seaworthiness of the ship, and its captain's actions.
Divers were seen checking the hull of the ship while it anchored in the Bitter Lakes area, just north of the site where it previously blocked the canal.
The Ever Given's captain was committed to fully complying with the probe, Sheesha said.
"The ship will remain in the lakes area until the investigations are complete," Rabie said, adding there was no definite time frame for the inquiry.
He confirmed investigators had already questioned the crew.
The ship's Japanese owner said it had not received any claims or lawsuits over the blockage.
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