Suez Canal: The Ever Given container ship has started to move after a week of blockage.
Unblocking insight on the Suez Canal? A 400-meter-long, blocked container ship has been sailing across the Suez Canal since last Tuesday. This advance raises the hope of a way out of the crisis, which caused billions of dollars in losses.
The vessel has been “rotated” but is not yet floating, its owner said. The stern of the more than 200,000-ton vessel moved away from the west side of the canal, according to Vesselfinder and myshiptracking vessel traffic viewing sites on Monday morning. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has confirmed that the boat has been 80% returned in the “right direction” but it is unknown when traffic will be restored.
Giant tugs
In a statement issued around 5 am, the SCA confined itself to indicate that “the towing maneuvers to refloat the container ship Ever Given began with the aid of 10 giant tugs”. According to several media reports and Also, Inchcape Maritime Services Company stated that the ship was refloated.
At the end of Sunday evening, reports of the failure of the failed attempt were approved by the maritime service leth agencies in a tweet that the operation was postponed until the tugs were strong enough.
On its part, however, the SCA did not announce any adjournment, only stating in a statement earlier in the evening that operations around the ship’s bow have been intensified.
Hopes rested on a fast tide on Sunday evening to make the rescue operation easier. Spokesman George Safwat SCA said that about 27,000 m3 of sand, 18 meters deep, had been cleared. But officials are especially concerned about the “rugged” type of the area.
400 stranded vessels
According to former Egyptian Admiral Ihab Talaat el-Bannane, the accident happened in the part of the canal where the ground is hard, and other than that, it was the usual challenging to dig. According to an AFP journalist, the Panamanian-flagged container ship was surrounded on Sunday morning by a few tugs. At a height of 60 meters with its load, it dominates the surrounding territories and palm trees.
Surveillance of the surroundings included canal security agents as well as soldiers and police. Ever since Tuesday, it has finally got stuck across the canal, totally obstructing the nearly 300-meter-wide waterway, which is the world’s busiest.
The Suez Canal, about 190 km long, handles 10.10% of the international maritime trade. Everyday time causes significant delays and expenses. According to SCA, in total, approximately 400 ships were fastened at the ends and middle of the channel, joining the mediterranean sea and the red sea. On Friday, that each day of downtime could require global trade within $ 6 billion and $ 10 billion, Insurer Allianz estimated.