Boats waiting in the Suez Canal. High resolution here
New Delhi:
The giant freighter MV Ever Given that has wedged itself diagonally through Egypt’s Suez Canal, one of the world’s most important waterways, since Tuesday, has blocked more than 120 ships at the southern entrance to the trade route, as revealed by a high-resolution satellite image. . The photograph shows about 2,500 square kilometers of maritime area near the canal, which is dotted with dozens of anchored ships awaiting the unblocking of the waterway.
Other photographs clicked on by Maxar’s WorldView satellites provide a detailed look at the ongoing operation to unlock the man-made trade route connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. The images show earthmoving crews digging sand near the bow of the ship.
Closer view of dredging operations. High resolution here
The ship’s grounding is holding around $ 9.6 billion in cargo each day between Asia and Europe, the AFP news agency reported.
Ever Given ship overview. High resolution here
The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, has said that Egypt, which controls the canal, has been losing around $ 14 million a day in revenue due to the accidental blockade.
Near the excavation around the bow of the Ever Given ship in the Suez Canal. High resolution: here
Today he said that technical or human errors could have played a role in grounding the ship, in addition to strong winds and weather factors.
Closer view of the Ever Given ship. High resolution here
When asked when the ship would be afloat, he said it was possible “today or tomorrow, depending on the ship’s responsiveness to the tides.”
Overview of the Suez Canal and boats waiting. High resolution here
“The type of soil we are dealing with is very difficult to handle, as are the tides that affect the ship due to its size and cargo,” the AFP news agency was quoted as saying.
The MV Ever Given, which has more than four football fields, blocks the passage of more than 300 boats at each end of the canal.
(With contributions from AFP)
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