A boat navigates in front of the Ever Given, a gigantic container ship that ran aground in the Suez Canal
(AP)
One of the world’s busiest and most important shipping lanes has been blocked for hours after a container vessel, the Ever Given, became stuck.
Ships are now queueing at both ends Suez Canal, which normally sees dozens of them transit between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea every day.
Strong winds were to blame for the Ever Given’s grounding and left it stuck sideways in the vital waterway, according to its owners.
Egyptian officials are trying to re-float the giant ship but warn it could take two days.
Ever Given was travelling from China to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
How did this happen?
Thought it was not immediately clear why Ever Green slewed sideways across the canal, GAC, a global shipping and logistics company, said she had suffered “a blackout while transiting in a northerly direction.”
Dr Sal Mercogliano, of Campbell University, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that this would have knocked out the ship’s rudder control.
Evergreen Marine Corp., a major Taiwan-based shipping company that operates the vessel, said in a statement that Ever Given had been overcome by strong winds as it entered the Suez Canal from the Red Sea.
A Egyptian official similarly blamed the wind. Meteorologists said high winds and a sandstorm had struck the area on Tuesday, with gusts of up to 31mph.
“All crew are safe and accounted for,” said Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, which manages the Ever Given. “There have been no reports of injuries or pollution.”
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Jon Sharman24 March 2021 08:21
‘Very precarious’ job of trying to set ship free
Dr Sal Mercogliano, professor of maritime history at Campbell University, said ships had run aground in the canal before, but never one this large and not blocking the whole waterway.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Being aground as she is, all the way up on the eastern bank, and she’s listing to port, it’s very hard to be able to pull her off.
“They’re in a very dangerous, precarious position too, with both ends of the vessel on the beach there’s a potential for the vessel to sag in the middle.
“If they cannot get her off that position with the tugs, they’re going to have to start removing fuel out of her, and then containers.
“But the difficulty with getting the containers off her, she’s so high, so tall, that it would be very difficult to get the correct size cranes in there.”
Jon Sharman24 March 2021 08:02
Suez Canal blocked as 200,000-tonne ‘mega ship’ gets stuck
A giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal on Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s busiest trade routes in both directions for hours, writes Kate Ng.
The 200,000-tonne Ever Given was en route from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean when it became stuck sideways in the canal at around 5.40am GMT, according to shipping agent GAC.
Data from vessel tracking site Marine Traffic shows the ship is still in the same position, with at least five tug boats attempting to pull it free.
Jon Sharman24 March 2021 07:43
Welcome to our coverage of the Suez Canal for Wednesday. The major waterway is blocked by a huge, 200,000-tonne container ship that has run aground on both banks.
Jon Sharman24 March 2021 07:42
