Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chairman Osama Rabie has indicated he is prepared to cut the insurance claim for the containership grounding the clogged the canal from $916m to $600m.

The offer is the first indication that the SCA maybe prepared to drop its hard line on negotiations and compromise.

The 20,388-teu Ever Given (built 2018), and its cargo, have now been delayed for more than seven weeks since it grounded while negotiations over the claim continue.