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Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move, but it remains unclear when it can be refloated, the head of the canal authority said on Saturday.
The 400 meter long Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal amid high winds early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways.
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About 15% of world shipping traffic transits the canal and hundreds of vessels are waiting to pass once the blockage has been cleared.
An excavator attempts to free stranded container ship Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, after it ran aground, in Suez Canal, Egypt March 25, 2021. (Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Reuters)
Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie said he hoped it would not be necessary to remove some of the 18,300 containers to lighten the ship’s load, but that strong tides and winds were complicating efforts to free it.
“The ship’s stern began to move towards Suez, and that was a positive sign until 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) at night, but the tide fell significantly and we stopped,” Rabie told journalists in Suez.
“We expect that at any time the ship could slide and move from the spot it is in.”
Dredgers removed some 20,000 tonnes of sand from around its bow by Friday. A Dutch firm working to free the vessel said it could be freed by the start of next week if heavier tugboats, dredging and a high tide succeed in dislodging it.
Tugging attempts restarted on Saturday afternoon and further efforts were planned on Saturday night and Sunday morning, SCA sources said, though they added it could be necessary to remove more sand from around the ship to free it.
Two SCA sources said there had been further, minor progress in dislodging the ship on Saturday. One source said there had been some movement at the bow of the ship.
“When dealing with a ship of this size, its behavior with the dredgers is unknown, we don’t know how it will respond to the pulling,” said Rabie.
The head of Boskalis, parent company of Dutch firm Smit Salvage which has been brought in to help the SCA, said heavy tugboats with a combined capacity of 400 tonnes would arrive sometime this weekend.
Read more:
Strong winds not main reason for huge ship stranding in Suez Canal: Chairman
Suez Canal remains blocked amid efforts to free stuck vessel
Suez Canal blockage could cost $6 bln to $10 bln in lost trade, says study by Allianz
US military offers to help Egypt in blocked Suez Canal
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