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The Ever Given, a container ship almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall, ran aground in the Egyptian Channel after being caught in 40 knot winds and a sandstorm that caused poor visibility and poor navigation.
It blocked one of the world’s busiest waterways, prompting frantic rescue efforts, including the use of two dredges, nine tugs and four diggers on the canal bank.
The dredgers are working hard to remove sand and mud from the bow of the ship – and they will need to move between 15,000 and 20,000 cubic meters (530,000 to 706,000 cubic feet) of sand to reach a depth of 12 to 16 meters ( 39 to 52 feet), which could allow the vessel to float, the SCA said Thursday. It’s about eight times the size of an Olympic size swimming pool.
“In addition to the dredges already on site, a specialized suction dredger is now with the vessel and will begin work shortly. This dredger can move 2000 cubic meters of material every hour,” said Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the vessel’s technical director. Ever Given, in a report.
The SCA added that it had discussed the possibility of moving the boat, which is 400 meters (1,312 feet) long and 59 meters (193 feet) wide, by dredging the area around it.
The SCA’s main channel pilot told CNN on Wednesday that the re-float of the huge ship was “technically very complicated” and could take days.
But each passing day is costing companies and countries whose trade has been blocked by the impasse. About 12% of world trade volume passes through the Suez Canal, and it typically handles around $ 10 billion a day in freight.
More than 18,800 ships with a net tonnage of 1.17 billion tonnes passed through the canal in 2020. This represents an average of 51.5 ships per day.
At least 160 ships carrying vital fuel and cargo are now waiting to cross the stranded waterway, according to an SCA main channel pilot. Some ships decide to divert their voyage around Cape Horn to avoid blocking the Suez Canal – but they face an additional 3,800 miles and up to 12 days of additional navigation time, according to the International Chamber of Navigation.
“Not only will goods on board Ever Given be seriously delayed in their journey, but hundreds of other ships will also be affected. The damage to the global supply chain will be significant,” said Secretary General of ICS, Guy Platten.
Experts fear that if the ship is not released quickly, the traffic jam could impact the oil market, shipping and container rates, causing the cost of everyday goods to rise.
“The majority of trade between Asia and Europe still relies on the Suez Canal, and given that vital goods, including vital medical equipment and PPE, pass through these ships, we call on the Egyptian authorities to take care of everything. implement to reopen the canal as soon as possible, ”Platten said.
But the current shutdown may have a much bigger and more disruptive impact than the last two closures, as the level of trade between Europe and Asia has increased dramatically in the decades since.
“The size of shipping has become so large that it is very difficult for the Egyptian authorities to keep up with the growth,” CNN senior international correspondent Bill Wedeman said Thursday. “The size of the Suez Canal over the past 50 years, the width of it, has practically doubled and it is clear that it is still not big enough.”
The Ever Given is owned by the Japanese shipping company Shoei Kisen KK. In a press release, Shoei Kisen apologized to the other ships that were planning to sail and are now stranded. The company told CNN it assumed damages would be claimed for the incident, but its main focus now is to refloat the ship.
CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali and Mostafa Salem contributed to this report.
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