Efforts to free ship stranded in Suez Canal continue
Efforts to dislodge the large container ship stuck across the Suez Canal will continue today after attempts on Saturday’s high tide failed.
The 400 metre Ever Given became wedged in the canal on Tuesday which has caused chaos for global shipping. More than 300 ships are stuck on either side of the blockage while some companies have had to reroute vessels around Africa.
The Suez Canal Authority said tugging and dredging operations would continue today depending on wind conditions and tides.
Dredgers have so far shifted 27,000 cubic metres around the ship to reach a depth of 18 metres, the authority said.
Around 12 per cent of all shipping passes through the canal so the blockage has wreaked havoc on global supply chains. Shipping rates for oil tankers have nearly doubled since the ship became stranded last week.
General Osama Rabie, chairman of the SCA, said Saturday’s efforts had seen water start to run underneath the vessel.
“We expected that at any time the ship could slide and move from the spot it’s in,” he told a press conference. He added he hoped it wouldn’t be necessary to remove any of the 18,3000 containers on board to lighten the vessel’s load.
However this morning it was reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered preparations for lightening the cargo of the Ever Given.
John Denholm, president of the UK Chamber of Shipping told the BBC transferring the cargo to another vessel or the canal bank would involve bringing in specialist equipment.
“If we go through the lightening process, I suspect we’re talking weeks,” he said.