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Suez Canal salvage crews alternated between dredging and pulling to dislodge a massive container ship blocking the busy waterway, while two sources said the efforts had been complicated by rocks below the ship’s bow.
The dredgers working to dislodge the stranded ship have so far displaced 27,000 cubic meters of sand, at a depth of 18 meters, and efforts will continue 24 hours a day according to wind and tidal conditions, the Ship Authority said. Suez Canal (SCA) in a statement.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered preparations for the possible removal of some of the 18,300 containers from the ship, SCA President Osama Rabie told Egypt’s Extra News.
Any operations to lighten the ship’s load would not begin before tomorrow, an SCA source said, as salvage crews try to take advantage of high tides before they recede next week to maneuver the ship in freedom.
The 400-meter-long MV Ever Given stuck diagonally through a southern section of the canal in high winds more than five days ago, stopping maritime traffic on one of the world’s busiest waterways.
At least 369 ships are waiting to transit the canal, Rabie said, including dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels.
Carriers affected by the lockdown may be offered discounts, Rabie said, adding that he believed investigations would show the channel was not responsible for landing the Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships.
SCA rescue workers and a team from Dutch firm Smit Salvage have been weighing how much pulling power they can use on the ship without risking damage and whether it will be necessary to remove some of the cargo with a crane to re-float.
Experts have warned that such a process could be complex and lengthy. Rabie said he hoped it would not be necessary, but that Egypt would accept offers of international assistance if it switched to that strategy.
A ballast tank in the bow of the ship was damaged and the ship will have to be inspected once it is released, said two people familiar with the salvage operation.
“There are positive indicators from yesterday and the day before yesterday,” Rabie told Egyptian state television.
“The rudder was not moving and now it is moving, the propeller is working now, there was no water under the bow, and now there is water underneath, and yesterday there was a deviation of 4 meters in the bow and stern. “
However, two SCA sources told Reuters that a mass of rock had been found on the bow of the ship, complicating rescue efforts.
From the dredging carried out so far, it was still unclear whether the ship was stuck in soft sand, packed sand or clay, which will determine how easily it can move freely, said an official involved in the salvage operation.
Two more powerful tugs are expected to arrive tomorrow.
“We think that’s what you’re going to need in terms of horsepower … to have a decent attempt, a decent chance of trying to float,” the official said.
“We are dividing the day into two halves, 12 hours for dredgers and 12 hours for tugs, because not all times are suitable for tugs due to the tide,” Rabie said, adding that 14 tugs were being deployed in total.
Approximately 15% of the world’s maritime traffic transits the Suez Canal, which is a key source of foreign exchange earnings for Egypt. The current shutdown is costing the canal between $ 14 million and $ 15 million a day.
Shipping rates for oil product tankers nearly doubled after the ship was stranded, and the lockdown has disrupted global supply chains, threatening costly delays for companies already facing shipping restrictions. Covid-19.
If the lockdown is prolonged, carriers may decide to divert their shipments around the Cape of Good Hope, adding about two weeks to travel and additional fuel costs.
The SCA has said it can speed up convoys through the canal once the Ever Given is released.
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