Efforts to unblock Suez Canal continue

28 March 2021
International teams have been appointed to attend the vessel by the ship's owners

Efforts to refloat the large container ship blocking Egypt's Suez Canal are continuing with the ship’s owners appointing a team of specialists to tend the vessel and the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) receiving an offer to contribute to the rescue efforts from the US.

The container vessel, Ever Given, accidentally ran aground after a suspected gust of wind hit it on 23 March. The incident has caused a major build-up of vessels at either end of the vital international trade artery.

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On 25 March, the ship’s operator, Taiwan’s Evergreen, said in a statement that the ship's owners had appointed two maritime professional rescue teams to attend the ship. They are Smit Salvage from the Netherlands and Nippon Salvage from Japan.

Evergreen added that these teams will work with the ship’s captain and the SCA to design a more effective plan for refloating the vessel as soon as possible.

The SCA has said it received an offer to help from the US.

On 26 March, it said: “In connection with the ongoing efforts to dislodge the container ship that ran aground during its passage through the Suez Canal, the Suez Canal Authority values the offer of the United States of America to contribute to these efforts, and looks forward to cooperating with the US in this regard in appreciation of this good initiative, which confirms the friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries.”

Evergreen said the cost of the recovery and repairs needed are the responsibility of the ship’s owners.

“As the vessel is chartered, the responsibility for the expense incurred in the recovery operation, third party liability and the cost of repair (if any) is the owners,” Evergreen said in its statement.

The ship is owned by Shoei Kisen Kaisha, which is a subsidiary of Japan’s Imbari Shipbuilding. The shipowner has confirmed that the crew, ship and cargo are all safe, and there has been no marine pollution.

The 400 metre-long Ever Given is classified as an ultra large container ship (ULCS).

The canal is the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia and one of the Egyptian government’s main sources of foreign currency.

Egypt's SCA said in January that the country's revenues from the Suez Canal in 2020 declined 3 per cent to $5.61bn compared to 2019.

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Main photo: Pierre Markuse via Flickr

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