SUEZ, Egypt (AP) – The company that owns the large carrier that is stuck on all sides across the Suez Canal has said that an effort will be made to refurbish the vessel by taking advantage of full movements. -mara later Saturday.
The Ever Given, owned by Japanese company Shoei Kisen KK, entered Tuesday in a one-way stretch of the waterway, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the entrance. to the south, near the city of Suez.
At a press conference Friday night at the company’s headquarters in Imabari, western Japan, Shoei Kisen President Yukito Higaki said 10 tugboats had been installed and workers scraping the banks and the seabed near the bow of the ship to try to get back in as the high tide begins to go out.
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“We are sorry to block the traffic and cause the trouble and distress to many people, including the parties involved,” he said.
Shoei Kisen said in a statement Saturday that the company has considered removing their vessels to get the weight off the vessel, but it is a very difficult task, physically speaking. The company said it could consider that option if ongoing refurbishment efforts fail.
This satellite image from Cnes2021, Airbus DS Distribution, shows the delivered MV Ever cargo ship locked in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, 25 March 2021. (Cnes2021, Airbus DS Distribution via AP)
A crew from Boskalis, a Dutch company dedicated to salvage, worked with the canal authority using tugboats and a special switch scraper at the port side in the bow of the ship. Egyptian authorities have banned the media from accessing the site.
“It is a complex technical work” that requires several attempts to free the vessel, Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said in a statement.
Efforts earlier on Friday to release him failed, said Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, technical manager of the Ever Given.
The Suez Canal Authority has said it welcomes international support. The White House said it has offered help to reopen Egypt. “We have equipment and capacity that most countries don’t have and we see what we can do and what help we can be,” U.S. President Joe Biden told people recitation.
An initial inspection showed the vessel went ashore due to strong winds and failed mechanical or engine failure, the company said. GAC, a global shipping and supply company, had previously said the ship had been powered, but did not explain.
A crew using excavation equipment attempts to dig up the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, over the Suez Canal and stop traffic in the critical waterway. (Suez Canal Authority via AP)
Bernhard Schulte said two canal pilots were put on board when the vessel went aground. Such an arrangement is normal, but the captain of the ship retains final authority over the vessel, according to experts.
Marine traffic jams rose to more than 200 vessels Friday outside the Suez Canal and some vessels began to change course. More than 100 boats were still en route to the canal, according to data company Refinitiv.
Apparently expecting a long delay, the owners of the ship stuck on a sister ship, the Ever Greet, set out to sail around Africa instead, according to satellite data.
Others take them away as well. The natural gas carrier Pan Americas changed course in the Mid-Atlantic, now aiming south to orbit south Africa, according to satellite data from MarineTraffic.com.
About 10% of global trade flows through the waterway, which is especially important for transporting oil. The closure could also affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Middle East.
Oil markets are accepting the temptation for now, said analyst Toril Bosoni.
“Oil deposits have been declining but they are still relatively good,” she told The Associated Press, adding that she believes the impact could be more pronounced in the region. tankers than in the oil industry.
“We are not losing any oil supply but it will connect tankers longer if they have to go around” the head of Africa, she said, which is about two more weeks.
At the White House, media secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. sees “some potential impact on energy markets from the Suez Canal’s role as a major bilateral move for oil. … We are going to monitor the market situation and respond appropriately if necessary, but it is something we are closely monitoring. “
International companies are preparing for the impact of the canal barrier on supply chains that rely on the delivery of precision goods. Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said the country’s port should be expected.
This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the delivered MV Ever cargo ship locked in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, on Friday, March 26, 2021. Marine traffic jams rose to more than 200 vessels Friday outside the Suez Canal and some vessels began to change. a course as scrapers would work wildly to free a large cargo ship stuck on all sides in the canal and disrupt global shipping. (© Maxar Technologies via AP)
“If that happens, some will need to draw on investments,” he said on Facebook.
The background of vessels could put pressure on European ports and an international supply of vessels, which are already under the burden of coronavirus pandemic, according to IHS Markit, an industry research group. They said 49 shipwrecks had planned to cross the canal in the week since the Ever Given was introduced.
The delay could also lead to major insurance claims by companies, according to Marcus Baker, global head of Marine & Cargo at insurance broker Marsh, with a ship like the Ever Given typically covered at between $ 100 million to $ 200 million .
Capt. Nick Sloane, a marine rescue expert who led the high-profile effort to save the cruise ship Costa Concordia in 2012, told The Associated Press that the cargo ship could be released for up to a week in the situation best and warned of potential structural problems. on the vessel as it is still circulated. That’s if scratching works. If he does not, he estimated that an activity involving the removal of the ship’s goods would take weeks, as it would take 300 bars to carry the vessels around 20,000 boxes.
Satellite and photos transmitted by the authority of the canal show the Ever Given arch rubbing against the east wall, while its end appeared lodged against the west wall.
The Ever Given was involved in an accident in northern Germany in 2019, when it crashed into a small ferry anchored on the River Elbe in Hamburg. There were no passengers on the ferry at the time and no one was injured, but it was badly damaged.
Hamburg prosecutors opened an investigation into captain and pilot Ever Given on suspicion of endangering shipping traffic, but sheltered him in 2020 for lack of evidence, a Liddy Oechtering spokeswoman told The Associated Press.
Oechtering could not say what the investigation was to determine the cause of the crash, but officials at the time suggested that strong winds may have forced the slow-moving cargo ship into the ferry. .
Ships delayed by the Ever Given include at least 20 boats carrying livestock, raising concerns about the condition of the animals.
Five cattle carriers came from Spain and nine from Romania, the Guardian reported. The vessels went out earlier this month.
The animals appear to be OK at this point, but they could cause problems if they get out of the container for weeks. Livestock transport could build supplies, including food and water for the animals, in nearby ports but this is likely to be a complex process.
Other than supply problems, the vessels are unable to dispose of animal waste or dead animal carcasses.
An animal rights officer called the livestock vessels a “biohazard timeout for animals and the crew and anyone involved.”
Allegations of animal cruelty have been leveled against live transport vessels, including ships arriving in Israel.
TOI staff contributed to this report.