Egypt prepares special team to unload 18,000 containers from Ever Given blocking Suez Canal

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has ordered preparations for the unloading of the Ever Given freighter blocking the Suez Canal, the canal authority chief said on Sunday. Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, told Egyptian television that officials were preparing for the “third scenario” of unloading containers from the huge ship so that it can be refloated and open one of the busiest waterways in the world. The canal has been blocked for five days, leaving more than 300 ships waiting to pass.

Unloading some of the massive vessel’s 18,000 containers would require special equipment, so the president allowed it to be obtained even as the dredging continued.Rabie said. So far, 27,000 cubic feet of sand has been removed from around the vessel to a depth of 18 meters. “His Excellency ordered that we do not wait for the failure of the first and second scenarios to start thinking about the application of the third”, he said, referring to the dump.

Previously, there had been hopes that the vessel could be released overnight at high tide, but “the tidal conditions did not help Ever Given to re-float tonight,” Leth Agencies added, on canal service provider, adding that “the dredgers will continue their work, the tugs will help in further attempts.”

200,000-ton container ship, as long as the Empire State Building, costs billions of dollars in global trade every day. The fifth day of the rescue operation illustrated the technical and meteorological challenges that the international team attempted to dislodge Ever Given from the east side of the canal and avert global economic calamity.

Syria announced on Saturday that it had started rationing its oil supply, especially diesel and gasoline, due to the blockade of the canal.

Danish shipping giant Maersk said on Sunday it was continuing to work to alleviate the situation, adding that it had redirected 15 vessels in an effort to keep cargo through the waterway. “So far, we have redirected 15 vessels when we consider that the delay in navigation around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa, is equal to the current delay in sailing to Suez and back in line. ‘waiting,’ the statement read. The company said it would explore the possibility of redirecting more ships on Monday, after further analysis and attempts to float.

Attempts to get the ship out of the sand and mud will be made easier by the addition of two larger and heavier tugs: the ALP Guard, with a Dutch registration, and the Carlo Magna, with an Italian registration. Both are expected to hit the channel on Sunday, according to the ship’s technical director, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.

The company, which oversees the ship’s crew and maintenance, said in a statement that rescue work resumed at 2 p.m. Saturday, after “significant progress” was made in freeing the ship’s rudder from the sand and mud. But by midnight, with at least 11 tugs in operation, it was clear that dredging operations to remove thousands of tons of sediment around the port side of the ship’s bow would require more time and effort.

But as authorities confirmed they would attempt a new float on Sunday afternoon local time, industry experts weighed in on the idea that the on-board ship saga could have been avoided, given years of warnings that the size of the vessels could have been avoided. inland waterways were developing, but risk assessments were not.

“She’s a great ship and a big deal, but it’s not that we haven’t seen it coming,” said Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, in a recent podcast discussing the issues that arise. when ships get bigger. , but they fail to contain the risk that coincides with the increase in the size of the vessels.

Six more ships entered the canal on Sunday, bringing the number of ships caught in the massive maritime congestion to 327, according to Leth Agencies.

In addition to the delays, shipping companies will face higher insurance costs. According to analysis by maritime magazine Lloyd’s List, only one in 10 vessels surrounding the stranded Ever Given has adequate insurance to cover the disruption, raising concerns about the financial impact of the shutdown, which will affect probably different companies in multiple ways.

According to the report, it is estimated that 90% of nearby ships will not be able to claim the “considerable costs” incurred amid the chaos, which has forced hundreds of people to consider alternative routes, has caused delays at ports. and in transit and disrupted the oil trade.

Shipping insurance experts say some ships have been leased and companies will be forced to pay for the added time on their trips, which could be increased by several weeks.

On Saturday, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly welcomed the offer of foreign allies to help free the ship.

The rescue operations have become a true international operation led by an Egyptian, Dutch and German team, with tugs from Italy and the Netherlands., a reflection of the global shipping industry and Ever Given itself. The vessel is owned by a Japanese company and is operated by a Taiwanese company. Her crew is Indian and sails under the Panamanian flag.

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