CAIRO (Reuters) – The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Sunday that towing and dredging work would continue to keep an underground cargo ship blocking the canal going round the clock, depending on conditions. wind and tide.
Scrapers working to dismantle the vessel have so far moved 27,000 cubic meters of sand around the ship to reach a depth of 18 meters, the authority said in a statement.
The 400-meter (430-yard) long abruptly overturned crossing of the southern part of the canal more than five days ago disrupted shipping traffic on one of the busiest waterways in the world.
On Saturday, 321 boats were waiting to cross the canal, including dozens of vessels, large carriers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels.
Shipping rates for oil production tankers have almost doubled after the shipwreck, and the blockage has disrupted global supply chains, threatening cost delays for companies already facing restrictions COVID-19.
Reciting with Yusri Mohamed and Momen Saeed Atallah; Written by Aidan Lewis; Edited by Alex Richardson