March 26, 2021
3 mins read

Race against time to unblock Suez Canal

Around 10% of world trade flows through the canal, which is particularly crucial for the transport of oil, reports Asian Lite News.

A giant container ship remained stuck sideways Friday in Egypt’s Suez Canal, as authorities race to free the vessel and reopen traffic in a crucial East-West waterway for global shipping.

The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground Tuesday in the narrow, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula.

The ship, owned by Japanese firm Shoei Kisen KK, has blocked traffic in the canal, leaving dozens of smaller ships stranded in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

The vessel’s bow was touching the eastern wall, while its stern appeared lodged against the western wall – an extraordinary event that experts said they had never heard of happening before in the canal’s 150-year history.

The ship ran aground some 6 kilometers north of the southernly mouth of the canal, near the city of Suez, an area of the canal that’s a single lane.

The Suez Canal Authority, which operates the waterway, has deployed several tugboats in efforts to refloat the massive vessel, including a specialized suction dredger that is able to shift 2,000 cubic meters of material every hour.

As of Friday morning, the vessel remained grounded in the same position, with tugboats and dredgers still working to free it, according to Canal service provider Leth Agencies.

It reminded unclear when the route would reopen.

An Egyptian canal authority official called the refloating a “very sensitive and complicated” operation which needs to “be handled very carefully.” They want to avoid “any complications” that could extend the canal closure. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to talk to journalists.

NASA image of the Suez Canal, taken by the MISR instrument on the Terra satellite (Wikipedia)

A team from Boskalis, a Dutch firm specialized in salvaging, started working with the canal authority Thursday. The rescue efforts have focused on dredging to remove sand and mud from around the port side of the vessel’s bow.

The canal authority said late Thursday that they would need to remove between 15,000 to 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). That depth is likely to allow the ship to float freely again, it said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the Ever Given to become wedged on Tuesday. GAC, a global shipping and logistics company, said the ship had experienced a blackout without elaborating.

Evergreen Marine Corp., a major Taiwan-based shipping company that operates the ship, said in a statement that the Ever Given had been overcome by strong winds as it entered the canal from the Red Sea, but that none of its containers had sunk.

The Suez Canal also blamed bad weather for the incident.

The blockage has caused headaches for global trade. Around 10% of world trade flows through the canal, which is particularly crucial for the transport of oil. The closure also could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Mideast.

At least 150 ships were waiting for the Ever Given to be cleared, including vessels near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea and those already stuck in the canal system on Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake, Leth Agencies said.

Using data from Automatic Identification System trackers on ships at sea, data firm Refinitiv shared an analysis with the AP showing over 300 ships remained en route to the waterway over the next two weeks.

Some vessels could still change course, but the crush of ships listing the Suez Canal as their destination shows that an even-greater backlog looms for shippers already under pressure amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Also Read-Second Suez Canal is ready for opening

Read More-Egypt to expand Suez Canal

Previous Story

Biden promises 200mn jabs in 100 days

Next Story

Nepal relaxes curbs on Tourism

Latest from -Top News

No Talks Till Terror Ends: India to Pakistan

The MEA’s strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India….reports

BNP ramps up poll demand

Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among

Saudi backs India’s strategic outreach

In a series of engagements, the Indian delegation met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State Adel Al-Jubeir and other senior officials. A high-profile Indian all-party parliamentary delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay

India clears stealth fighter project

New execution model paves way for private sector involvement in India’s ambitious stealth aircraft programme; Army showcases next-gen drone warfare systems. In a landmark decision bolstering India’s defence self-reliance, Defence Minister Rajnath

ASEAN lauds India’s firm stance on terrorism

The ASEAN Secretary-General reaffirmed the bloc’s resolve to deepen collaboration with India—a comprehensive strategic partner—in security and counter-terrorism efforts. The Indian all-party Parliamentary delegation, led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha,
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Massive container ship freed from Suez Canal

The high tide on Sunday night helped to free the

Egyp to hike Suez Canal transit fees in 2023

The authority said on Saturday that rising energy prices, freight