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EGYPT-SHIPPING-SUEZ LEAD
Mega-ship in Suez Canal moved ‘80%’ in right direction
SUEZ, Egypt, March 29, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The enormous container ship
blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week has been turned 80 percent in the
right direction, officials said Monday, raising hopes the vital trade route
could soon be clear.
But its owner said that while the giant ship “has turned”, it was still not
fully free.
The MV Ever Given, longer than four football fields, became wedged
diagonally across the canal during a sandstorm last Tuesday, strangling world
supply chains.
Egypt is losing some $12-14 million in revenue from the canal for each day
it is closed, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chief Osama Rabie said.
Maritime data company Lloyd’s List says the blockage is holding up an
estimated $9.6 billion worth of cargo each day between Asia and Europe, with
the tailback of ships reaching 425 at either end of the canal, in the
Mediterranean and Red Sea.
– Tug boat flotilla –
Once the 200,000-tonne ship is fully afloat, it will take around three and
a half days to clear the traffic jam of ships, SCA chief Osama Rabie said
Monday, praising rescue efforts with tugs that had succeeded in shifting the
stern of the ship.
“The position of the ship has been reorientated 80 percent in the right
direction,” Rabie said in a statement.
“The stern… moved to 102 metres (335 feet) from the shore,” compared to
its position four metres from the bank previously.
A fresh effort to refloat it will start on the next high tide.
The SCA statement said that the refloating process “will resume when water
flow increases again from 11:30 am (0930 GMT)… in order to completely
refloat the vessel, so as to reposition it in the middle of the waterway.”
An official from the ship’s owners, Shoei Kisen, said while the Ever Given
“has turned” it “is not afloat” at this stage.
The ship had been “stuck at an angle of 30 degrees towards the canal, but
that has eased” with the help of a flotilla of tug boats, said the official.
“A total of 11 tug boats have been pulling Ever Given since this morning,”
the official said, adding that while there was damage sustained by the ship
on its bow when it got stuck, “no new damage has been reported”.
A canal official, who requested anonymity, said that the team on the ground
had started technical checks, and were reassured that the ship’s motor was
working.
Salvage crews have been working around the clock.
They had focussed on efforts to remove sand around the ship, with 27,000
cubic metres (over 950,000 cubic feet) cleared at a depth of 18 metres (59
feet), SCA spokesman George Safwat said Sunday. On Sunday evening a shipping
company, Leth agencies, had said Egyptian authorities had decided more
tugboats were needed to shift the vessel.
The Dutch-flagged Alp Guard arrived to join the mission on Sunday evening,
while Italy’s Carlo Magno arrived Monday morning.
– Knock-on effects –
The crisis has forced companies to choose between waiting or rerouting
vessels around Africa, which adds a huge fuel bill, 9,000 kilometres (5,500
miles) and over a week of travel to the trip between Asia and Europe.
Russia offered assistance Sunday, following other countries including the
United States that have made similar offers.
In a sign of the knock-on effects from the Suez blockage, authorities in
war-wracked Syria said the crisis had hit its fuel imports from Iran and
forced it to ration already scarce supplies.
Romania’s animal health agency said 11 ships carrying livestock out of the
country were also impacted, while the charity Animals International warned of
a potential “tragedy” affecting some 130,000 animals.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1526 hrs