[ad_1]
The fate of “Evergiven”, the huge container ship that has been blocking the Suez Canal for days, remains unclear as efforts are being made to float it.
While new aerial photos captured by satellite, as cited by Reuters today, Sunday, showed attempts to float the 400-meter ship after it ran aground in a sector south of the canal in strong winds last Tuesday, disrupting the Global transport operations due to the closure of one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, it seems that a human error was made and the cause of this crisis.
Bloomberg reported that moments before his crime, Evergiven was going faster than the maximum set by the Suez Canal Authority.
Its last speed was 13.5 knots 12 minutes before it came to a stop, while the maximum speed allowed through the canal was between 7.6 and 8.6 knots, according to Bloomberg.
Images showing an attempt to float the huge ship stranded in the Suez Canal (Reuters)
The Japan Times also reported that the ship was traveling at 13.5 knots.
The date of the float is unclear.
For his part, Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, announced on Saturday that efforts are continuing to remove the huge ship, but it is not yet clear when it will be repaved.
He also added that water began to flow under the boat. He expressed hope that it will not be necessary to remove some 18,300 containers from the ship to reduce its cargo, but the force of the wind makes it difficult to refloat.
Images showing an attempt to float the huge ship stranded in the Suez Canal (Reuters)
He told reporters: “The stern of the ship started to move towards Suez, which was positive until 11pm (2100 GMT), but there was a very big root and we stopped.”
While two authority sources explained to Reuters that dredging around the ship, pushing and pulling it with tugs, made limited progress in its movement yesterday, as its bow moved slightly.
20 thousand tons of sand
Over the past few days, the dredgers have lifted around 20,000 tons of sand around the bow of the ship.
While a Dutch company working to float the ship announced that it could be released in the next few days if it involved heavy locomotives and ongoing operations to sweep sand around its bow and a high tide that would displace it from its place.
Hundreds of ships await
It is noteworthy that around 15 percent of the world’s maritime traffic passes through the canal, and hundreds of ships are waiting to pass once its closure is complete.
Over the past few days, tanker freight rates nearly doubled after the ship was stranded and following the closure of the canal in global supply chains, threatening to create costly delays for companies already suffering due to to Covid-19 restrictions.
And if the canal remains closed for a long time, shipping companies may decide to reroute ships to orbit around the Cape of Good Hope, adding two weeks to travel plus more fuel costs.
