Uncertainty in world trade: fear that unblocking the Suez Canal will take weeks

Given the uncertainty generated in world trade by the fact that the Suez Canal remains blocked, teams of engineers from the Netherlands and Japan have arrived in Egypt to try to unblock the gigantic beating merchant ship as quickly as possible. Panamanian flag.. Some experts fear these jobs will take weeks.

For now, dredges, tugs and even a backhoe have tried unsuccessfully on Thursday to free the cargo ship as more than 150 ships waited to cross the crucial route and losses to the maritime sector increased.

The “Ever Given”, a vessel weighing more than 220,000 tonnes heading for Rotterdam from Asia, It ran aground between Tuesday night and Wednesday and was stranded through the southern section of the Suez Canal.

The Dutch company Smit Salvage and the Japanese company Nippon Salvage were hired by the owner of the boat and worked with its captain and the Suez Canal authorities on a plan to unblock the boat so that traffic could restart in one of the main shops. roads of the world.

“Evergreen Line will continue to coordinate with the shipowner and the Suez Canal Authority to deal with the situation urgently, ensuring the resumption of the voyage as soon as possible and mitigating the effects of the incident.Said Evergreen Marine Corp, which leased the Ever Given container ship.

The Ever Given, a skyscraper-sized ship that transports goods between Asia and Europe, ran aground on Tuesday on the narrow man-made track that separates mainland Africa from the Sinai. Even with the help of the tides, authorities have not been able to move the ship and are looking for new ways to free it.

The Japanese company that owns the ship has issued a written apology.

“We are determined to continue to make efforts to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.“Said Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd.” We apologize to all parties involved in the incident, including vessels navigating or planning to navigate the Suez Canal. “

Meanwhile, a huge queue of oil tankers and merchant ships waits on either side of the canal, creating one of the worst ship bottlenecks in recent years.

As work resumed at dawn on Thursday, an Egyptian official on the canal said he hoped to avoid having to unload containers from the ship as it would take several days and prolong the shutdown. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to make reports to the press.

So far, dredgers have tried to remove silt from around the large vessel. The tugs were pulling on them to try to gain momentum. From the shore, a backhoe stirred the sand into which the bow would be sunk. However, satellite photos taken by Planet Labs Inc. and analyzed by The Associated Press revealed that the ship was still stranded.

Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei, head of the canal authority, said navigation on the route would remain suspended until Ever Given refloated. A team from Boskalis, a Dutch rescue company, arrived on the channel on Thursday. One of its leaders said unblocking the ship would take “days or weeks”.

On the other hand, Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, a company specializing in dredging, said the vessel may need to be offloaded. “We cannot rule out that it could take weeks, depending on the situation,” Berdowski told Dutch TV.

“It’s like a huge stranded whale. It is a huge weight on the sand. We may have to work with a combination of weight reduction by removing containers, oil and water from the ship, tugs and sand dredging, ”he added.

Consulted by the British newspaper The GuardianPeter Sands, a shipping expert, said the companies are hoping the chain can open soon. “They are slowly moving towards the second emergency plan and it will last another four or five days, there is even fear that it will last even longer.He warned.

Some ships have already started to take alternative routes, a decision that significantly increases costs and navigation time.

In addition, Some predict that in the coming days or hours, an avalanche of insurance claims will begin to cover the millionaire losses caused by the blockade of the canal..

Experts cite high winds as one of the causes of the 60-meter-high vessel incident. The SCA also reported on a sandstorm, a common occurrence in Egypt at this time of year, which reduced visibility and caused the vessel to drift.

According to Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), the Singapore-based company that manages the technical management of the vessel, the 25 crew members are safe. There is no pollution or damage to the ship’s cargo, with a capacity of over 20,000 containers.

Japanese company Shoei Kisen Kaisha, owner of the gigantic ship, admitted on Thursday that it faces enormous difficulties in putting the ship afloat.

Maritime link between Europe and Asia, this route allowed ships not to have to go around the African continent (for example 6000 km less between Singapore and Rotterdam), but it has also seen the brunt of several wars and years of inactivity.

An incident like the one that occurred then has consequences since 10% of international maritime trade passes through this waterway, according to experts.

With information from the AP and AFP

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