Japanese shipowner Shoei Kisen was hit with a $1bn salvage and compensation claim after its giant container ship Ever Given ran aground and blocked the Suez Canal for six days in March 2021.

Omar N Omar — a Dubai-based partner of Middle East law firm Al Tamimi & Co, who took part in the legal battle that followed the refloating — described it as an eye-opener that highlights the need for a greater effort to unify, or at least harmonise, international treaties, and make sure they apply the next time such an incident inevitably occurs.