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SUEZ, KOMPAS.com – Operations continue to free the giant container ship trapped in the Suez Canal. Some have warned that the difficult process could take days or even weeks.
The Ever Given, is operated by the Taiwanese company Evergreen Marine. The length of four football fields.
This giant container is clogged at the southern end of the canal, preventing other ships from passing through one of the busiest waterways in the world.
The BBC reports that several operations are underway and may be underway to quickly release this giant container.
Tugboats
The ship was 400 meters (1,300 feet) long, wedged diagonally into a channel no more than 200 meters (656 feet) wide.
The delivery traffic software shows a group of tugs operating on both sides of the ship.
They use cables or are placed directly next to the container. The tugs tried to move Ever Given from the sandbars on both sides of the canal.
“Because it is firmly planted on both sandy edges of the canal, all attempts to move it so far have been unsuccessful,” said Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University in the United States.
The company that manages the ship’s operations, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), said the attempt to float the ship on Friday had failed. But those efforts will continue.
The company said two additional tugs would arrive Sunday to help with the operation.
Also read: Boat always given because the Suez Canal is jammed on Saturday night
Maximizing the dredge
The goal of the rescue is now to dig up sand and mud from under the bow of the ship.
Sal Mercogliano said the dredge was a tool often used in the Suez Canal. This machine is used to continuously dredge the waterway to keep it navigable.
“The big machines stick to the water and remove dirt from the bottom, which then accumulates on the banks of the canals.”
BSM said the specialized “suction scraper” attachment was ready to move 2,000 cubic meters of material every hour.
The Netherlands-based company Boskalis manages the dredging operation.
Its chief executive, Peter Berdowski, said dredging alone would not solve the problem.
“It can take weeks depending on the situation” to free the ship using a combination of dredging, towing and lifting the ship’s cargo.
Drain the contents of the load
Another option in the effort to renovate the 200,000-ton vessel is to unload fuel, water and cargo.
Draining the fuel from the boat’s tank will help. But this alone is unlikely to be sufficient without other load reduction measures.
BBC reported some internal space in the hull filled with water. BSM’s managing agent said that arrangements were being made to reduce the load by using high-capacity pumps.
Also read: 10 facts of the Suez Canal: birthplace of the Statue of Liberty, severely damaged by war
Towing with crane
A ship the size of Ever Given can carry up to 20,000 twenty-foot (6-meter) containers.
The operation to move it by crane is believed to be a very challenging option.
Regardless of the difficulty of placing the crane in a position close enough to the ship, the process can lead to damage and even imbalance in the ship.
“You have to carry a large floating crane. But whatever you are doing now, you have to determine how it will affect the stability of the ship,” said Dr. Mercogliano.
“The worst case scenario (for the crane options) is that Ever Given could be split in half due to the (uneven) weight distribution.”
Also read: 5 facts about the Suez Canal: chronology, causes and losses
