[ad_1]
ISMAILIA, Egypt: Divers inspected the hull of the Ever Given on Wednesday (March 31) when the man tasked with investigating how the giant container ship ran aground, disrupting international trade through the Suez Canal for nearly a week, boarded the vessel.
Lead investigator Capt.Sayed Sheasha, who boarded the Ever Given on Wednesday afternoon, told Reuters the investigation would include examining the ship’s seaworthiness and the actions of its captain to help determine the causes.
Divers had gone to check the ship’s hull while it was anchored in the Bitter Lakes area, a channel source said.
The Ever Given captain promised to fully comply with the investigation, Sheasha said.
READ: Comment: Too big to navigate? Suez Canal debacle sparks debate over massive container ships
READ: Comment: The Suez Canal Incident Reveals Why World Trade Is Highly Dependent On Shipping With Few Alternatives
“The ship will remain in the lakes area until investigations are completed,” Suez Canal Authority (SCA) President Osama Rabie told a local television channel late Wednesday, adding that there was no defined time frame for the investigation.
Rabie also said investigators questioned the crew on Wednesday.
The six-day lockdown disrupted global supply chains after the 400-meter-long ship got diagonally stuck in a southern section of the canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.
The SCA said Wednesday that shipping had returned to normal levels, with a total of 81 ships transiting the canal.
Egypt’s Leth agencies said on Wednesday that a total of 163 ships had transited the Suez Canal since its reopening and that there are currently 292 ships waiting.
READ: Delayed shipments from Suez Canal chaos could take months to clear, container lines say
Five liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels transited Tuesday, Kpler commodity analysts said in a note, adding that congestion on the canal appeared to be “now easing rapidly.”
The SCA has scheduled expedited shipping convoys and has said it hopes the backlog of ships can be cleared by the end of the week.
The blockade of the channel is expected to lead to a flood of insurance claims, and Lloyd’s of London expects a “huge loss”, possibly of $ 100 million or more, according to its president.
Ever Given’s Japanese owner said it had not received any claims or lawsuits over the blockade.
