Efforts to refloat stranded mega-vessel blocking Suez Canal fails, says ship manager

The stranded ship has created a maritime traffic jam of more than 200 vessels outside the Suez Canal
CORRECTION-EGYPT-TRANSPORT-SUEZ-CANAL
The 1,300-foot long and 59-metre wide vessel is lodged sideways in the Suez Canal, impeding all traffic across the waterway
Suez CANAL/AFP via Getty Images

An attempt on Friday to refloat the stranded mega-vessel blocking the Suez Canal has failed, said the ship’s technical manager.

The Ever Given, a Japanese-owned ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europeran aground on Tuesday.

The skyscraper-sized ship has been blocking the narrow, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula ever since.

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), the company that manages the Ever Given, said an attempt to refloat the vessel earlier today was “not successful”.

A Dutch rescue team from Smit Savalge has been assigned with the salvage operations.

BSM confirmed in a statement that two additional tugs would arrive on Sunday to assist in refloating the ship.

“The focus is now on dredging to remove sand and mud from around the port side of the vessel’s bow,” said BSM in a statement.

“A specialised suction dredger, which can shift 2,000 cubic meters of material every hour, arrived on site on 25 March 2021 to support the ongoing dredging operations.

“Arrangements are also being made for high-capacity pumps to reduce the water levels in the forward void space of the vessel and the bow thruster room.”

BSM added that all 25 crew members, who are Indian nationals and remain onboard, are safe and accounted for and remain in good health and spirits.

“There have been no reports of pollution or cargo damage and initial investigations rule out any mechanical or engine failure as a cause of the grounding,” said BSM.

At the time of the incident, the Ever Given was on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. According to BSM, intial investigations suggest the ship was grounded due to “strong wind”.

Accordingto data firm Refinitiv, more than 200 vessels are waiting near the canal andmore than 100 ships were on their way to the waterway.

On Thursday the ship’s owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., offered a written apology for the incident.

AP

“We are determined to keep on working hard to resolve this situation as soon as possible,” the company said.

“We would like to apologise to all parties affected by this incident, including the ships travelling and planning to travel through Suez Canal.”

Canal service provider Leth Agencies said at least 150 ships were waiting for the Ever Given to be cleared, including vessels near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea and those already stuck in the canal system on Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake.

Cargo ships already behind the Ever Given in the canal will be reversed south back to Port Suez to free the channel, Leth Agencies said. Authorities hope to do the same to the Ever Given when they can free it.

Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo. It also remains one of Egypt’s top foreign currency earners.

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