– If it doesn’t work now, you probably have to unload the boat – E24

Leth Agencies, which provides services to ships navigating the Suez Canal, writes late Sunday night on Twitter that work has been postponed until Monday in anticipation of another tugboat arriving from Italy.

The planned towing operation was supposed to start at 4 p.m. Sunday, but was initially postponed until 10 p.m. to take advantage of the favorable tide.

The Suez Canal has been blocked for five days due to the Ever Given ship, but on Saturday it began to move. This has led to increased optimism among many. Including Marius Lien and Greencarrier Liner Agency Norway:

– I think the ship can come loose today. Those who are there now are perhaps the best at this in the world. When they hope it happens, then I have it, he told E24 on Sunday night.

He stressed that he did not know more than what was in the media.

Ever Given is operated by Taiwanese Evergreen, but the owners are Japanese Shoei Kisen, a subsidiary of the Imabari Shipbuilding shipyard company. Greencarrier in Norway is an agent for the Taiwanese shipping company and the Evergreen Marine Corporation, which operates the ship.

– If it doesn’t work now, you probably have to unload the ship, and I don’t know exactly how to fix it. It will be chaos anyway, Lien told E24.

Waiting for development

Bergensrederiet Odfjell has a ship that has reached the south side of Suez, two ships in the Mediterranean and a ship that goes from Houston to India that on Sunday had passed the point where you have to choose whether the ship should go through Suez. or around.

– We have understood it so that yesterday they had unsuccessful attempts to free the ship, and that they will make a new attempt today. We have therefore chosen to put the Bow Elm ship on an intermediate course pending the outcome of today’s salvage attempt, operations manager Harald Fotland told E24 on Sunday.

He says they have daily contact with those trapped in the Suez Canal, and that the wait is nothing new for their crews:

– Our crews have spent a year with a crown and are used to waiting a long time and changing plans. They come straight out of the winter storm in Texas, so they got their wait fix there, too, he said.

According to the chief operating officer, Bow Elm will be able to detour in seven days if he has to change routes to drive to southern Africa. The ship that stopped in the canal on Sunday is called the Bow Prosperer.

– We also have two ships at the southern end of the Red Sea and these can be diverted in three weeks. Our customers are generally low in stock, so it is always critical for them to get the load out.

Shipowners Association: – Good sign

– Many hope that it can happen today, or trust that it will happen in the next few days. If it is not resolved in the middle of the week, when the tide is at its highest, then it may take time, CEO Harald Solberg of the Norwegian Shipowners Association told E24 on Sunday.

He further said that it is a good sign that the ship is now in motion.

– There are still 26 Norwegian-owned ships that are stuck, but we expect the number to increase somewhat in the next few days if not resolved now. There are many boats that have slowed down and the tail is growing on both sides.

The director says that the association has contact with all shipping companies that have ships in the Suez Canal.

The Solvang shipping company also has a ship on the Suez Canal:

– I don’t know much more about what’s in the media, but I hope it looks promising, says Solvang boss Edvin Andresen.