We don’t want it to be split in half … complicated calculations for the Dutch team to move the delinquent ship in the Suez Canal

The Dutch emergency team, which was used to float the massive ship blocking the Suez Canal, has carried out some exciting salvage operations in advance, including lifting the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk from the bottom of the Barents Sea, but says this is one of the most important. more difficult tasks.

The “Ever Geffen”, which weighs 200,000 tonnes without payload, is the heaviest ship chartered to be rescued by Smit Salvage, a subsidiary of the Dutch maritime services company “Buscalis”, in its 180-year history.

Smit Salvage has emergency response teams around the world, helping to recover or rescue dozens of shipwrecks and stranded freighters, ferries and tankers.

While casualties are unlikely this time, huge economic stakes on one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes make time so important.

Pauskalis CEO Peter Bradowski, who has likened the operation to saving a minor whale on the beach, will have to propose a plan that will be accepted by the shipowner, insurers and Egypt’s state-run Suez Canal Authority, according to Sky. News.

The ship was suspended by the nose and tail, and early attempts to move it with tugs showed that it did not move easily, as it was huddled crosswise in a narrow area.

“It is a difficult puzzle, because the ship is currently under pressure … We do not want it to tip or split in half during the rescue operation,” he said.

“I think the most likely possibility is to restart the float on Sunday or Monday,” said Clemens Chapler of global logistics platform Transborion. But the worst case scenario is being stuck for weeks, and this is a real possibility. “

The Suez Canal Authority assembles excavators to remove underwater sand or any other material under the bow and at the end of the ship. The rigidity of that material and the ability to position the excavators will be the limiting factor for the speed of the operation.

A team from the Netherlands boarded the ship yesterday, collecting initial readings and working out the best options, and officials involved in the operation, senior Reuters, said at the time that the clear first step was to remove large amounts of fuel and used ballast. to Balance the boat to reduce the weight, along with with sand, then try to drag and float it.

If these initial measures fail and the ship remains stuck, several thousand cargo containers will need to be unloaded, mission officials warn that it could take weeks.

“Time is the deciding factor here,” said Bradowski, Pouskales CEO. The ship itself was not damaged, but there is enormous damage due to the stopping of the navigation movement.

He added: “It’s very rare that the element of time is as important as it is now with Evergiven.”