[ad_1]
Image source,EPA
This freighter called “Ever Given” (Ever Given) is registered in Panama and is operated by Evergreen Shipping.
A giant container ship the length of four football fields ran aground in Egypt’s Suez Canal, crippling one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
The accident caused dozens of ships to be blocked, and they could only wait for the rescue ship to rescue the huge ship that was blown off course by strong winds.
Egypt has reopened the old canal channel to divert some of the traffic until the huge ship resumes sailing.
The paralysis of the waterway has caused an increase in oil prices on the international market.
This is the busiest waterway in the world.
The Suez Canal is located in Egypt, connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and is the gorge of the Asia-Europe Maritime Canal. According to statistics, around 12% of world trade is carried out through this long and narrow waterway.
This freighter, called “Ever Given”, is registered in Panama and is operated by Evergreen Shipping. It was originally planned to sail from China to the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, but was stranded in the Suez Canal on the way to the Mediterranean.
This 200,000-ton class full container ship was built in 2018 and ran aground at around 7:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday (March 23) and was inserted horizontally into the waterway.
The ship is 400 meters long and 59 meters wide, blocking the passage of other ships, there are currently many blockages on the round trip route.
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, who manages the container ship, denied previous reports that the ship had been “partially shallow.”
The company said in a statement that the “current priority is to re-float the ship and restore the safety of maritime traffic in the Suez Canal.”
Image source,Reuters
Experts warn that this process can take several days.
Reuters quoted local sources as saying that there are currently at least 30 boats trapped on the north side of the “Changci” and 3 boats trapped on the south side.
Evergreen Marine claimed that the ship “suspected it had been hit by a sudden strong wind, which caused the hull to drift … accidentally bottomed out and ran aground.”
Bernhard Schulte confirmed on Wednesday (March 24) that all crew members were “safe and sound” and that there were no reports of casualties.
Eight tugs are trying to bring the boat back to the surface and bulldozers on the ground have started digging sand from the embankment where they were stranded.
Image source,EPA
Dr. Sal Mercogliano, a marine historian from North Carolina in the United States, told the BBC that similar incidents are rare and can “have a huge impact on world trade.”
According to Reuters, crude prices on the international market rose 4% on Wednesday (March 24) due to concerns about the disruption of crude transportation.
Energy intelligence company Kpler said more than 20 tankers carrying crude oil and refined products were affected by the congestion.
“This is the largest ship ever beached in the Suez Canal,” he said. The ship got stuck on the embankment and may have lost its power and drivability.
“If they can’t save it … at high tide, they’ll have to start moving the goods.”
Julianna Cona, who was on the other ship directly behind the Long Grant, wrote on Instagram: “The ship in front of us ran aground passing the canal and is now stuck on its side. Look, we could stay here for a while …”
Image source,Reuters
Satellite images show that the ship blocked the channel.
analysis
BBC Business Correspondent Theo Leggett (Theo Leggett)
The Suez Canal is the main artery of world trade, connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, providing a channel for ships to travel between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The other main route is bypassing the Cape of Good Hope in the southern tip of Africa, but this takes much longer.
On average, almost 50 ships pass through the canal every day, but sometimes this number can be much higher, accounting for around 12% of world trade. The Suez Canal is particularly important as an export channel for petroleum and liquefied natural gas, as it enables oil to be transported from the Middle East to Europe more quickly.
So the nightmare scenario is that this vital path is blocked – this is the “Long Grant” stranded incident that is happening now. The question now is how long this route will be blocked, because a long delay will cause serious problems for the carrier, delaying the delivery of goods and energy.
It is reported that in this case, traffic can recover relatively quickly, although oil prices have risen, the impact will be limited.
But this incident shows that there will be problems when a new generation of super-large ships like the “Long Give” must pass through a relatively narrow channel. Although part of the Suez Canal has been expanded as part of a major modernization plan in the last decade, it is still difficult to navigate and is prone to accidents.
According to Reuters, the ship can carry 20,000 20-foot containers.
According to data from the Suez Canal Authority, almost 19,000 ships will pass through the canal in 2020, an average of 51.5 per day.
Image source,fake images
The Suez Canal is located in Egypt and connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. It is the shortest sea passage between Asia and Europe.
In 2017, a Japanese container ship ran aground after reporting a mechanical problem that caused the canal to block. Egyptian authorities deployed the tugboat, which floated again a few hours later.
The Suez Canal runs through the Egyptian Suez Isthmus, a narrow strip between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. It is 193 kilometers long and consists of three natural lakes.
In 2015, the Egyptian government carried out a large-scale expansion of the canal, deepening the main canal and providing a 35-kilometer parallel canal for ships.
