Hopes For Effort To Free Suez Canal Ship Rise With High Tide

Suez Canal salvage teams were alternating between dredging and
tugging to dislodge a massive container ship blocking the busy
waterway, while two sources said efforts had been complicated by
rock under the ship’s bow.

Dredgers working to dislodge the stranded vessel have so far
shifted 27,000 cubic metres of sand, to a depth of 18 metres, and
efforts would continue around the clock according to wind
conditions and tides, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a
statement.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered preparations
for the possible removal of some of the ship’s 18,300 containers,
SCA Chairman Osama Rabie told Egypt’s Extra News.

Any operation to lighten the ship’s load would not start before
tomorrow, a SCA source said, as salvage teams try to take advantage
of high tides before they recede next week to manoeuvre the ship
free.

The 400m long MV Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a
southern section of the canal in high winds more than five days
ago, halting shipping traffic in one of the world’s busiest
waterways.

At least 369 boats are waiting to transit the canal, Mr Rabie
said, including dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, oil
tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG) vessels.

Shippers affected by the blockage may be offered discounts, Mr
Rabie said, adding that he believed investigations would show the
canal was not responsible for grounding the Ever Given, one of the
world’s biggest container ships.

Rescue workers from the SCA and a team from Dutch firm Smit
Salvage have been weighing how much tugging power they can use on
the ship without risking damage, and whether some cargo will need
to be removed by crane in order to re-float it.

Experts have warned that such a process could be complex and
lengthy. Mr Rabie said he hoped it would not be necessary, but that
Egypt would take up offers of international assistance if it did
switch to that strategy.

A ballast tank at the bow of the ship has been damaged, and the
vessel will have to be inspected once it is freed, two people
familiar with the salvage operation said.

“There are positive indicators from yesterday and the day before
yesterday,” Mr Rabie told Egyptian state TV.

“The rudder was not moving and it is now moving, the propeller
is working now, there was no water underneath the bow,and now there
is water under it, and yesterday there was a 4-metre deviation in
the bow and the stern.”

However, two SCA sources told Reuters that a mass of rock had
been found at the bow of the ship, complicating salvage
efforts.

From the dredging done so far it was still unclear whether the
ship was stuck on soft sand, compact sand or clay, which will
determine how easily it may shift free, said one official involved
in the salvage operation.

Two more powerful tugs are expected to arrive by tomorrow.

“We believe that is what you are going to need in terms of
horsepower … to have a decent attempt, a decent chance of trying to
float her,” the official said.

“We’re dividing the day into two halves, 12 hours for dredgers
and 12 hours for tugs, because not all times are suitable for tugs
due to the tide,” said Mr Rabie, adding that 14 tug boats in total
were being deployed.

About 15% of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal,
which is a key source of foreign currency revenues for Egypt.The
current stoppage is costing the canal $14-15 million daily.

Shipping rates for oil product tankers nearly doubled after the
ship became stranded, and the blockage has disrupted global supply
chains, threatening costly delays for companies already dealing
with Covid-19 restrictions.

If the blockage drags on, shippers may decide to reroute their
cargoes around the Cape of Good Hope, adding about two weeks to
journeys and extra fuel costs.

The SCA has said it can accelerate convoys through the canal
once the Ever Given is freed.

https://www.rte.ie/

Suez Canal salvage teams were alternating between dredging and
tugging to dislodge a massive container ship blocking the busy
waterway, while two sources said efforts had been complicated by
rock under the ship’s bow.

Dredgers working to dislodge the stranded vessel have so far
shifted 27,000 cubic metres of sand, to a depth of 18 metres, and
efforts would continue around the clock according to wind
conditions and tides, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a
statement.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered preparations
for the possible removal of some of the ship’s 18,300 containers,
SCA Chairman Osama Rabie told Egypt’s Extra News.

Any operation to lighten the ship’s load would not start before
tomorrow, a SCA source said, as salvage teams try to take advantage
of high tides before they recede next week to manoeuvre the ship
free.

The 400m long MV Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a
southern section of the canal in high winds more than five days
ago, halting shipping traffic in one of the world’s busiest
waterways.

At least 369 boats are waiting to transit the canal, Mr Rabie
said, including dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, oil
tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG) vessels.

Shippers affected by the blockage may be offered discounts, Mr
Rabie said, adding that he believed investigations would show the
canal was not responsible for grounding the Ever Given, one of the
world’s biggest container ships.

Rescue workers from the SCA and a team from Dutch firm Smit
Salvage have been weighing how much tugging power they can use on
the ship without risking damage, and whether some cargo will need
to be removed by crane in order to re-float it.

Experts have warned that such a process could be complex and
lengthy. Mr Rabie said he hoped it would not be necessary, but that
Egypt would take up offers of international assistance if it did
switch to that strategy.

A ballast tank at the bow of the ship has been damaged, and the
vessel will have to be inspected once it is freed, two people
familiar with the salvage operation said.

“There are positive indicators from yesterday and the day before
yesterday,” Mr Rabie told Egyptian state TV.

“The rudder was not moving and it is now moving, the propeller
is working now, there was no water underneath the bow,and now there
is water under it, and yesterday there was a 4-metre deviation in
the bow and the stern.”

However, two SCA sources told Reuters that a mass of rock had
been found at the bow of the ship, complicating salvage
efforts.

From the dredging done so far it was still unclear whether the
ship was stuck on soft sand, compact sand or clay, which will
determine how easily it may shift free, said one official involved
in the salvage operation.

Two more powerful tugs are expected to arrive by tomorrow.

“We believe that is what you are going to need in terms of
horsepower … to have a decent attempt, a decent chance of trying to
float her,” the official said.

“We’re dividing the day into two halves, 12 hours for dredgers
and 12 hours for tugs, because not all times are suitable for tugs
due to the tide,” said Mr Rabie, adding that 14 tug boats in total
were being deployed.

About 15% of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal,
which is a key source of foreign currency revenues for Egypt.The
current stoppage is costing the canal $14-15 million daily.

Shipping rates for oil product tankers nearly doubled after the
ship became stranded, and the blockage has disrupted global supply
chains, threatening costly delays for companies already dealing
with Covid-19 restrictions.

If the blockage drags on, shippers may decide to reroute their
cargoes around the Cape of Good Hope, adding about two weeks to
journeys and extra fuel costs.

The SCA has said it can accelerate convoys through the canal
once the Ever Given is freed.

https://www.rte.ie/