Suez Canal blocked by massive cargo ship
24 March, 2021
A giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal after a gust of wind blew it off training course, the vessel's operator said on Wednesday (Mar 24), bringing marine visitors to a halt along one of the world's busiest trade routes.
Traffic on the narrow waterway dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula stopped on Tuesday after the MV Ever Offered got stuck.
The MV Ever Given is a 400m-much time and 59m-wide Panama-flagged container ship, using its owner listed in Japan.
Taiwan's Evergreen Marine Corp, which is usually leasing the vessel under a period charter, explained the shipowner informed it that the ship "was suspected to be hit by an abrupt strong wind, causing the hull to deviate from waterway and unintentionally hit underneath and run aground".
"The company has got urged the shipowner to article the reason for the incident and has been around discussions with relevant get-togethers including the canal operations authority to aid the ship immediately."
The Ever Given's bow was touching the canal's eastern wall, while its stern seemed lodged against its western wall, according to satellite data from MarineTraffic.com.
"Tug boats are trying to re-float the vessel," Leth Organizations, which provides crossing services to clientele using the canal, said on Twitter.
TRAFFIC JAM OF VESSELS
Bloomberg reported the incident had caused a build-up greater than 100 ships wanting to transit the canal.
Instagram end user Julianne Cona posted a good image of the grounded ship from the Maersk Denver, now also stuck behind the Ever Given.
"Ship in front of us ran aground while going right through the canal and is currently stuck sideways," she wrote. "Looks like we could possibly be here for a little bit."
A lot more than 150 years old, the Suez Canal is one of the world's most significant trade routes, providing passage for 10 % of all international maritime trade.
Practically 19,000 ships passed through it this past year with a complete tonnage of 1 1.17 billion, in line with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).
Canal authorities cannot be immediately reached in early stages Wednesday. The ship appeared to be stuck about 6km north of the southerly oral cavity of the canal near to the city of Suez.
Cargo ships and essential oil tankers were lining up at the southern end of the Suez Canal, waiting to be able to go through the waterway to the MEDITERRANEAN AND BEYOND, according to MarineTraffic data.
A United Nations data source listed the Ever Given to be owned by Shoei Kisen KK, a ship-leasing firm located in Imabari, Japan. The strong could not be instantly reached for touch upon Wednesday. The ship possessed listed its vacation spot as Rotterdam in the Netherlands prior to getting trapped in the canal.
Opened up in 1869, the Suez Canal offers a crucial link for oil, gas and cargo becoming shipping via East to West. Around 10 % of the world's trade flows through the waterway and it is always among Egypt's top foreign currency earners.
In 2015, the federal government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi completed a major expansion of the canal, and can accommodate the world’s largest vessels.
Egyptian authorities are yet to comment on the incident.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com