Suez Canal crisis continues amid attempts to relocate damaged ship

Osama Rabea, president of the Suez Canal Authority, says the ship would not have been stuck for so long if it had docked elsewhere in the Suez Canal.

In a press conference, he describes “the difficult operation” of taking off the 400-meter ship from the 250-meter-wide southern entrance.

The Suez Canal Authority is holding a live press conference on the floatation efforts:

If efforts to evict Ever Given with tugboats fail early next week, the Dutch company that helps the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) move it has a Plan B.

Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, said that an onshore crane could help lighten the mega-ship by removing its cargo.

“If we can’t get it off next week, we will have to remove about 600 containers from the bow to reduce weight,” he said.

“That will set us back at least days, because where to put all those containers will be a puzzle.”

The crane is scheduled to arrive at the site this weekend, but because the process of removing the containers is complicated and lengthy, it will not be deployed immediately.

Shipping rates for petroleum product tankers have nearly doubled since Ever Given was stranded.

The mega ship is currently blocking one of the busiest waterways in the world, through which 15 percent of the world’s maritime traffic passes.

Some carriers may decide to change routes around the Cape of Good Hope, adding two weeks to your trip and additional fuel costs.

However, none of the 288 ships on standby have requested to do this, three shipping agents said. Reuters.

Rescuers working to dislodge the MV Ever Given hope to do so early next week with the help of tugboats.

Last night, the dredgers removed 20,000 tonnes of sand from under the trapped vessel and hauling operations stopped.

The heavy tugs will arrive this weekend and renew efforts to free the ship, said Peter Berdowski, chief executive of Boskalis, the Dutch firm that helps rescue efforts.

He told the Dutch TV show Nieuwsuur: “The bow is really stuck in the sandy clay, but the stern has not been fully pushed into the clay, which is positive. We can try to use that as a lever to release it.

“The heavy tugs, with a combined capacity of 400 tons, will arrive this weekend. We hope that a combination of tugboats, sand dredging in the bow and high tide will allow us to release the boat early next week. ”

Boskalis is helping the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) try to get the ship off the ground.

At least 20 of the boats queuing behind the MV Ever Given mega ship contain livestock, raising concerns about animal welfare and a potential “biohazard.”

Cargo tracking website Marine Traffic identified 11 container ships carrying cattle, sheep and other livestock, while nine others were identified by Australia-based NGO Animals International, according to The Guardian.

Marine Traffic spokesman Georgios Hatzimanolis said that three of the carriers, the Omega Star, the Unimar and the Sea Star, “appear to be stuck at various points in the canal” rather than queuing to enter.

Gerit Weidinger, European Coordinator of Animals International, said: “My biggest fear is that the animals will run out of food and water and get trapped on the boats because they cannot be unloaded elsewhere for paperwork reasons.

“Getting stuck on board means that there is a risk of starvation, dehydration, injury, accumulation of waste, so they cannot lie down and the crew cannot dispose of animal carcasses in the canal either. It’s basically a biohazard time bomb for the animals, the crew and anyone involved. ”

Businesses reportedly travel with food for two to three days, and more may be delivered to ships, a process known as intermediate loading.