The United States proposed sending a naval expert to help open the Suez Canal

“We have offered and are ready to help Egypt, and at the same time we seek to support any specific request that we receive,” said Colonel Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central Command (CENTCOM), in a statement on March 26. “We continue to monitor and assess the situation, but we are unable to provide any possible support at this time.”

CENTCOM says that one of its main tasks is to protect commercial shipping in the region. A US defense official said the country offered to send a group of naval experts to help. If Egypt requests help, the team of experts will depart from the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, but this force has not received approval for the above operation.

The US military can provide assistance and advice for blocked ships to navigate around the southern tip of Africa, which is longer and can pass through pirate areas. “We can definitely advise them, but we cannot escort them all,” the US defense official said.

During a press conference on March 26, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the proposal to help the Egyptian government clear the Suez Canal “is part of the United States'” active diplomacy “with the country. “We are consulting with the Egyptian partner on how best to support their efforts. Consultations are ongoing, “said Psaki.

Large container ship Ever Given, with a total tonnage of more than 200,000 tons, on the morning of March 24, moving from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, crossed the channel and was stranded in the sand. The ship nearly flipped over on its side, sealing the shipping route through the Suez Canal, causing all movement through the canal to stop.

Evergreen Marine Corp, the shipping company that operates Ever Given, said the ship had problems due to high winds when it entered the Suez Canal, but no containers were sunk. Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has launched unsuccessful rescue attempts.

Nguyen tien (According to the AFP)