Suez Canal Still Needs Work to Open Partially Emerged Shelters-Bloomberg

The gigantic container ship blocking the Suez Canal was partially swirled, but there is still work to be done to bring it to the surface completely and move it to resume traffic on the Suez Canal.

According to the Suez Canal Authority, about 80% of the stranded “Evergiven” have returned to their normal positions. But there is still much work to be done to bring the 200,000-ton ship fully to the surface, said Peter Beldowski, chief executive of Boskalis Westminster, the salvage team’s parent company.

“The stern is easier to lift and the bow is harder,” the executive director told NPO Radio 1 in the Netherlands. “I’m still working on the goal. I want to avoid the joy of the save,” he said.

Evergiven, whose total length exceeds the width of the canal, ran aground on the 23rd, blocking the canal. The impact of the new coronavirus epidemic has disrupted the already overloaded global supply chain. After it took a salvage team several days to loosen the canal bottom with an excavator and a dredge boat, 10 tugs were launched early in the morning of the 29th to move Evergiven.

According to channel officials, salvage work will resume around 11:30 am local time (6:30 pm Japan time). After moving the container ship to the Great Bitter Lake area, the Suez Canal will resume operations.