CAIRO, EGYPT: A team from Boskalis, a Dutch firm has said the container ship, Ever Given stranded in the Suez Canal could be freed by the start of next week if heavier tugboats, dredging, and a high tide succeed in dislodging it.
Peter Berdowski, the chief executive of Royal Boskalis Westminster, which had been appointed by Ever Given’s owner to help move the vessel said that salvagers might need to extract fuel, pump out water from the ballast tanks and remove some of the containers to make the ship lighter and therefore easier to move.
He said, “Everything depends on how deep the huge container ship is stuck. The more deeply the vessel is stuck, the harder it is to drop weight, the more time it will take to free it,” Berdowski added.
A maritime traffic jam grew to more than 200 vessels on Friday outside the Suez Canal and some pots started changing course as dredgers worked hysterically to free a giant container ship that is trapped sideways in the waterway and disrupting international shipping.
As per details, one salvage expert said freeing the cargo ship, the Ever Given, could take up to a week in the best-case scenario and warned of probable structural issues on the ship as it remains blocked.
The Suez Canal Authority said it welcomed global offers of help, including one from the United States, although it did not say what was offered.
The Ever Given, owned by the Japanese firm Shoei Kisen KK, got wedged on Tuesday in a single-lane stretch of the canal, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.
An attempt Friday to free it botched, said Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the technical manager of the Ever Given. “Plans are in the works to pump water from interior spaces of the vessel, and two more tugs should arrive by Sunday”, the company said.
An initial investigation showed the vessel ran aground due to strong winds and ruled out mechanical or engine failure as a cause, the company said. GAC, a global shipping and logistics company, had previously said the ship had experienced a power blackout, but it did not elaborate.
Bernhard Schulte said two canal pilots had been aboard the ship when it got stuck. Such an arrangement is customary, but the ship’s captain retains ultimate authority over the vessel, according to shipping experts.
In addition to the over 200 vessels waiting near the canal, more than 100 ships were en route to the waterway, according to the data firm Refinitiv. Apparently anticipating long delays, the owners of the stuck vessel diverted a sister ship, the Ever Greet, to head around Africa instead, according to satellite data.
About 10% of world trade flows through the canal, which is particularly crucial for the transport of oil. The closure also could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Middle East.
