They managed to unlock the ship that was blocking the …

Works to liberate the gigantic container ship, the “Ever Given”, of the Suez Canal, where it got stuck Last Tuesday, the blockage of one of the busiest waterways in the world paid off: with the help of high tide, they managed to put it parallel to the shore.

The way out of the crisis began to be seen this morning when the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced that the vessel had been reoriented 80% in the “right direction”.

“Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, proclaimed the resumption of navigation traffic on the canal “, SCA said in a statement once the feat of moving the vessel has been accomplished.

What happened?

The ship, from 400 meters in length and over 220,000 tonnes in weight, it deviated from its trajectory on Tuesday.

The “Ever Given” – 59 meters wide and about 60 meters high with its load – remained crossed in the southern part of the canal, near the town of Suez, blocking all navigation between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

Although the incident was initially attributed to strong winds combined with a sandstorm, weather conditions were not the only reason for the incident, SCA Chief Admiral Osama Rabie said on Saturday. “Other errors, human or technical, could also have come into play,” he said.

According to Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), the Singapore-based company that manages the technical management of the ship, the 25 crew members are safe. And there was no contamination or damage to the cargo of over 20,000 containers.

What are the consequences?

According to experts, Almost 10 percent of international maritime trade passes through the canal. Nearly 19,000 ships used this route in 2020, according to the SCA.

Opened in 1869, the canal has been enlarged and modernized several times. Its construction significantly reduced the distances between Asia and Europe: 6000 kilometers less between Singapore and Rotterdam, for example.

The canal has been blocked in the past, particularly during the Suez Crisis in 1956, when ships were sunk by Egyptian authorities.

A few 425 boats – including freighters carrying live cattle – were stranded at both ends of the canal on Monday morning, according to trade magazine Lloyd’s List.

The blockade caused significant delays in the delivery of oil and other commodities, impacting the price of black gold, which rose over the weekend. But, according to experts, the reserves are sufficient and there are also other forms of supply.

The first concrete effects are being felt and Syria said on Saturday it had started rationing fuel distribution, due to the delay in delivering a cargo.

For its part, the SCA said that Egypt lost between 12 and 14 million dollars (between 10 and 11.8 million euros) per closing day, while Lloyd’s List magazine estimates that the container ship blocks the equivalent of some € 8.1 billion ($ 9.5 billion) in freight every day.

According to a report by the insurance company Allianz, each day of foreclosure could “cost between $ 6 billion and $ 10 billion to world trade “.

To mitigate the losses, large shipping companies such as the Danish Maersk or the French CMA CGM have decided hijack their ships and sail around the Cape of Good Hope, a detour of 9,000 kilometers around Africa and at least seven additional days of navigation.

How did the operation go?

The SCA said on Thursday that maritime traffic was “temporarily suspended”, and the company in charge of “rescuing” the ship said it would take “days or weeks” before it resumed.

A first operation to get her back afloat failed on Friday. The next day, Rabie claimed the ship had “moved 30 degrees right and left” for the first time, a “good indicator”.

This Monday morning, the first good news arrived: the ship had moved a lot. The admiral announced that the ship had been redirected 80% in the “right direction”. “The maneuvers to refloat will resume when the water level rises, around 11:30 am local (09:30 GMT)”, according to the SCA. Shortly before, the Japanese shipping company Shoei Kisen, owner of the container ship, had confirmed that the “Ever Given” it had “turned” but “still did not float”.

Hours later, Suez Canal authorities officially reported that the ship had lifted off the ground. According to experts after the incident ended, it would take three and a half days for all the waiting ships to cross the Channel, Rabie clarified.