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SUEZ, KOMPAS.com – The congestion of the Suez Canal by the large container ship Ever Given meant that other ships had to weigh the decision on a long, expensive and dangerous alternative route around Africa.
Well-informed person reported on Saturday (3/27/2021), the sea route from the Red Sea to the eastern Mediterranean in a circle is a 15,000-mile journey. Not only that, the journey is also through the most dangerous waters in the world for piracy.
Ships traveling long distances will be forced to pass through the Horn of Africa, Somalia, and ultimately West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. The area is one of the waters with the highest piracy rates in the world.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), there were 135 registered maritime hijackings in 2020. A total of 130 pirates occurred in the Gulf of Guinea.
Also read: The Suez Canal is still closed, is there an alternative route?
“We see that pirates are acting with greater impunity,” IMB director Michael Howlett told Deutsche Welles in February.
According to him, the hijackers spent more time on the ship. In one case, they were on board and monitored it for more than 24 hours. Absolutely incomparable.
For Financial times, A spokesman for the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, said it had been contacted by several shipping companies in recent days.
They were concerned about the risks that pirates posed to their ships, which were forced to circumnavigate Africa.
“There is a risk there, and perhaps that is another reason why ocean carriers will think twice before going around the (African) Horn,” said Genevieve Giuliano, a professor at the Sol Price School of Public Policy. University of Southern California. The Washington Post.
Read also: The Suez Canal: here is a scenario that can be carried to freedom forever
The large container ship Ever Given has been stuck in the Suez Canal since Tuesday (23/3/2021).
The owner company in Japan said it expects to release the ship on Saturday (3/27/2021).
But some experts say freeing the ship could take weeks.
It’s unclear how Ever Given got out of line. But authorities attributed the accident to strong winds and sandstorms, which are not uncommon at this time in Egypt.
While the world waits, the London-based maritime news magazine Lloyd’s List estimates that the clog costs US $ 400 million (Rp. 5.8 billion) per hour for items that are delayed.
Also read: New facts about the Suez Canal jammed, the Ever Given ship is not blown by the wind
