One of the world’s largest vessels blocking the Suez Canal as a “beached whale” may take weeks off, a rescue company has said, as officials stopped its -all boats to enter the channel Thursday in a new position for global trade.
The 400 meters (430 yards) ever provided – almost equal to the height of the New York City Empire State Building – impedes movement across all sides through one of the busiest shipping channels in the world. world for oil and grain and other trade linking Asia and Europe. .
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said eight tubs were working to move the vessel, which was stopped abruptly over the one-way south stretch of the canal Tuesday morning amid strong winds and a dust storm.
“We cannot rule out that it may take weeks, depending on the situation,” Peter Berdowski, CEO of the Dutch company Boskalis which is trying to free the ship, told the program Dutch television Nieuwsuur.
One of the waterways, according to tracking data, forms 206 large lifeboats, oil and gas-carrying tankers, and large grain-hauling vessels, supported at each end of the waterway. Worst shipping tags seen in years.
The hurdle comes in addition to the global trade turmoil already caused in the past year by COVID-19, with trade volumes hit by high levels of volatility. boat delays, ship shortages and slower handling speeds at ports.
The SCA, which allowed some vessels to enter the waterway in hopes of clearing the barrier, said it stopped all traffic Thursday. The shipping giant Maersk said in a mission adviser that it affected seven ships.
Berdowski said the bow and stern of the ship were built against each side of the canal.
“It’s like a big whale with a breast. It is a heavy weight on the sand. We may need to work with a combination of weight reduction by removing vessels, oil and water from the boat, tugs and sand dredging. “
Scrapers worked to clear sand and mud from around him while tugboats in conjunction with Ever Given winches worked to move him, said the ship’s technical manager, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM).
Lawrence Brennan, a professor of maritime law and international maritime law at Fordham University, said physical damage to the vessel could lead to long-term obstruction of the canal.
“[Ship-owners must asses] is there any other damage. The pictures from yesterday show the vessel hard and the end wet. And that could further damage the ship, ”Brennan told Al Jazeera.
“If this ship broke in half and could not be moved back and removed, that would lead to a long-term blockage of the canal as it currently stands.”
‘Very expensive’
About 30 percent of the world’s shipping volume passes through the Suez Canal 193km (120 miles) per day, and about 12 percent of total global trade of all goods.
Lars Jensen, a Danish-based marine expert, said that if the Ever Given container ship remained stuck, the impact on global trade could be significant.
When “the cork comes out, it’s almost like a ketchup bottle, then you get both: all the dishes in the queue and the extra normal dishes coming into side ports. Europe at the same time “, which will make” a huge congestion “of problems in European ports, say a week to two weeks from now”, he explained.
A former EU ambassador to Egypt says the crisis at the Suez Canal could be “very costly”.
“Every day people have estimated that between $ 8-10bn of trade passes through the Suez Canal – absolutely fundamental to European supply chains,” James Moran told Al Jazeera.
“It’s not just about oil,” he said, adding that it was “equally important” for products coming from the east, including China.
Councilor Wood Mackenzie said shipping ships had the biggest impact, but also that 16 crude oil and production tankers were to sail through the canal and were now delayed.
The tankers were carrying 870,000 tonnes of crude and 670,000 tonnes of clean oil products such as petrol, naphtha and diesel, he said.
Fear of outcome
Holger Loesch, deputy managing director of the German BDI industry association, raised concerns, saying earlier shipping holdups were affecting production, especially in industries based on raw materials or construction materials.
About 16 per cent of Germany’s chemical imports arrive by boat via the Suez Canal and the chief economist for the association of German chemical producers and VCI pharmaceutical manufacturers, Henrik Meincke, said they would be more affected by its all day of inhibition.
The sticker tankers carried 870,000 tonnes of crude oil and 670,000 tonnes of clean oil products such as petrol, naphtha and diesel [Suez Canal/Handout/AFP]
Japanese boat owner Shoei Kisen apologized for the incident and said work on freeing the ship, which was bound for Europe from China, had “been very difficult” and it was not clear when the ship would sail again.
The owner and insurers are opposed to multi-million dollar claims even if the vessel is quickly refurbished, business sources said Wednesday. Shoei Kisen said she is the shell insurer of MS&AD Insurance Group while the liability insurer is the UK P&I Club.
The ship’s GPS signal on Thursday showed only minor changes to its position over the previous 24 hours.
Two professional rescue teams from the Netherlands and Japan will work with local authorities to devise a more efficient plan to refurbish the vessel, the company that leases it said, Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp. said.