Suez Canal: Ever Given moves 30 metres as preparations are made to remove cargo to make it lighter
The 220,000-tonne Ever Given has been wedged across the Egyptian shipping lane since Tuesday
Egypt’s president has ordered preparations are made to remove cargo from the ship (Photo: Maxar Technologies/AP)
By Benjamin Russell
March 28, 2021
The container ship stuck in the Suez Canal has been moved almost 30 metres by workers trying to free the stricken vessel.
The 220,000-tonne Ever Given has been wedged across the Egyptian shipping lane since Tuesday, and experts have warned that freeing the ship could take weeks.
But fresh hope was given to the situation on Sunday when rescue crews reportedly managed to move it by around 30m, according to NBC News foreign correspondent Raf Sanchez.
Around 14 tugs are currently working in the canal, with two further attempts to free the Ever Given expected to take place on Sunday.
A pilot working with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said he hoped the chance of success would be boosted by spring tides offering deeper water.
Two additional tugs, the Dutch-flagged Alp Guard and the Italian-flagged Carlo Magno, arrived in the Red Sea and were heading to the site to work alongside dredgers as they continue to vacuum up sand from beneath it and remove mud caked to the ship’s side.
By Benjamin Russell
March 28, 2021
The container ship stuck in the Suez Canal has been moved almost 30 metres by workers trying to free the stricken vessel.
The 220,000-tonne Ever Given has been wedged across the Egyptian shipping lane since Tuesday, and experts have warned that freeing the ship could take weeks.
But fresh hope was given to the situation on Sunday when rescue crews reportedly managed to move it by around 30m, according to NBC News foreign correspondent Raf Sanchez.
Around 14 tugs are currently working in the canal, with two further attempts to free the Ever Given expected to take place on Sunday.
A pilot working with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said he hoped the chance of success would be boosted by spring tides offering deeper water.
Two additional tugs, the Dutch-flagged Alp Guard and the Italian-flagged Carlo Magno, arrived in the Red Sea and were heading to the site to work alongside dredgers as they continue to vacuum up sand from beneath it and remove mud caked to the ship’s side.
The Ever Given has caused a backlog of cargo ships (Photo: Suez Canal Authority via AP)
They have so far shifted 27,000 cubic metres of sand around the ship to reach a depth of 18m, according to the SCA.
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has also ordered preparations are made to remove cargo from the ship in a bid to make it lighter.
Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, the head of the SCA said he was optimistic about the progress they were making.
He said: “There are positive indicators from yesterday and the day before yesterday.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
More than 320 ships are waiting to travel through the waterway, either to the Mediterranean or the Red Sea.
A number of backed up ships are known to be carrying livestock, raising concerns about their welfare as time goes on.
Gerit Weidinger, EU coordinator for Animals International, said: “My greatest fear is that animals run out of food and water and they get stuck on the ships because they cannot be unloaded somewhere else for paperwork reasons.”
They have so far shifted 27,000 cubic metres of sand around the ship to reach a depth of 18m, according to the SCA.
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has also ordered preparations are made to remove cargo from the ship in a bid to make it lighter.
Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, the head of the SCA said he was optimistic about the progress they were making.
He said: “There are positive indicators from yesterday and the day before yesterday.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
More than 320 ships are waiting to travel through the waterway, either to the Mediterranean or the Red Sea.
A number of backed up ships are known to be carrying livestock, raising concerns about their welfare as time goes on.
Gerit Weidinger, EU coordinator for Animals International, said: “My greatest fear is that animals run out of food and water and they get stuck on the ships because they cannot be unloaded somewhere else for paperwork reasons.”
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Suez canal: Grounded Ever Given cargo ship moves for first time but it is still unknown when it will be free
Many ships en route to the area still have the canal listed as part of their course, however other vessels are opting to navigate the Cape of Good Hope in order to avoid it.
The company that owns the ship, Shoei Kisen, said getting the ship moving was “extremely difficult”, but that there were no injuries or oil spillage caused by it running aground.
Mr Rabei said on Saturday that he hoped the ship would be re-floated “today or tomorrow, depending on the ship’s responsiveness to the tides”.
Discussing the cause of the accident, he added: “An accident this big has several mistakes, several causes, part of it is a technical mistake, which is under investigation.
“There could also be a human error, which is also under investigation.
“There could be a lot of mistakes, but we can’t say what they are now.
“The only mistake we can be sure of now is the wind and the sandstorm. This is not the main one, like I said, but the rest will become clearer in the investigation.”
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