Stranded Suez canal container ship ‘Ever Given’ partially freed
The enormous container ship blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week has been turned 80 percent in the right direction, officials said Monday, raising hopes the vital trade route could soon be clear.
But its owner said that while the giant ship “has turned”, it was still not fully free.
The MV Ever Given, longer than four football fields, became wedged diagonally across the canal during a sandstorm last Tuesday, strangling world supply chains.
Egypt is losing some $12-14 million in revenue from the canal for each day it is closed, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chief Osama Rabie said.
Maritime data company Lloyd’s List says the blockage is holding up an estimated $9.6 billion worth of cargo each day between Asia and Europe, with the tailback of ships reaching 425 at either end of the canal, in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
Once the 200,000-tonne ship is fully afloat, it will take around three and a half days to clear the traffic jam of ships, SCA chief Osama Rabie said Monday, praising rescue efforts with tugs that had succeeded in shifting the stern of the ship.
“The position of the ship has been reorientated 80 percent in the right direction,” Rabie said in a statement.
“The stern… moved to 102 metres (335 feet) from the shore,” compared to its position four metres from the bank previously.
The 200,000-tonne Ever Given ran aground on Tuesday morning amid high winds and a sandstorm that affected visibility. Specialist salvage companies were brought in to help refloat the ship.
On Sunday, canal officials began preparing to remove some of roughly 20,000 containers on board in order to lighten the load.
About 12% of global trade passes through the 193km (120-mile) Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and provides the shortest link between Asia and Europe.
An alternative route, around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, can take two weeks longer.
By Africanews
