ISMAILIA, Egypt (AP) – Pretty boats, tugs and even a backhoe failed to release a giant cargo ship embedded in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Thursday, as the number of ships stacked unable to pass through vital waterways rose to 150, and worldwide mounted transport losses.
Ever Date, the size of a skyscraper carrying goods between Asia and Europe, collapsed on Tuesday in the narrow, artificial canal that divides mainland Africa from the Sinai Peninsula. Even with the help of the high waves, the authorities failed to push aside the container ship with the Panama flag and are looking for new ideas to release it.
In a sign of the turmoil caused by the blockade, the Japanese owner of the ship even offered a written apology.
“We are determined to continue working hard to resolve this situation as soon as possible,” said Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. “We would like to apologize to all parties affected by this incident, including ships traveling and intending to travel through The Suez Canal. ”
As release efforts resumed in the light of Thursday, an official of the Egyptian canal authority said workers hoped to avoid unloading containers from the ship, as it would take days to do so and prolong the closure. . The official spoke on condition of anonymity, as he was not allowed to speak to journalists.
So far, the dredges have tried to clear the mud around the massive ship. The tugs pushed the ship close to her, trying to gain momentum. From the shore, at least one backhoe dug into the sandy banks of the canal, suggesting that the ship’s bow had burned into it. However, satellite photos taken Thursday by Planet Labs Inc. and analyzed by The Associated Press showed that the ship was still stranded in the same location.
Lt. General Osama Rabei, the head of the canal’s authority, said waterway navigation would remain suspended until the re-floating of Ever Ever. A team from Boskalis, a Dutch rescue company, arrived on the canal on Thursday, although one of its senior officials warned that the removal of the ship could take “days to weeks”.
A team from the Boskalis subsidiary, SMIT, “spent the day inspecting and making calculations to assess the ship’s condition and a plan on how the ship would float,” spokesman Martijn Schuttevaer told AP. He did not offer a time frame.
The Suez Canal Authority said one idea the team discussed was scraping the bottom of the canal around the ship.
Boskalis President Peter Berdowski on Wednesday described the ship as “a very heavy whale on the beach”.
“The ship, with its current weight, cannot really be removed. You can forget it “, he declared for the Dutch current affairs program” Nieuwsuur “.
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the company that manages Ever Ever, said its 25-member crew is safe and responsible. Shoei Kisen Kaisha said the entire crew came from India.
The ship had two pilots from the Egyptian canal authority on board the ship to guide it when it landed on Tuesday around 7:45 a.m., Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said.
Canal service provider Leth Agencies said at least 150 ships are waiting for Ever Date to be cleaned, including ships near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea and those already stranded in the Great Lake canal system. Bitter of Egypt.
Cargo ships already behind the Ever Date Canal will be turned south back to Port Suez to clear the canal, Leth said. Authorities hope to do the same with Ever Ever Date when they can release it.
Evergreen Marine Corp., a major Taiwanese shipping company operating the ship, said Ever Give was overwhelmed by strong winds as it entered the canal, Egyptian officials said. Strong winds and a sandstorm affected the area on Tuesday, with gusts of wind at 50 km / h (30 mph).
An initial report suggested that the ship had a power outage prior to the incident, which Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement denied.
“Initial investigations rule out any mechanical or engine failure as a cause of earthing,” the company said.
In Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters that the Suez Canal is part of a crucial international gang and that the Japanese government is gathering information and working with local authorities.
The closure could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Middle East, which is based on the canal to avoid navigation through Africa. The price of the international reference oil Brent rose to over $ 63 a barrel on Thursday.
Overall, the renowned shipping journal Lloyd’s List estimates that the Suez Canal is closed every day, disrupting more than $ 9 billion worth of goods that should cross the waterway. A quarter of all traffic on the Suez Canal per day comes from container vessels such as Ever Date, the newspaper said.
“Blocking something like the Suez Canal really sets in motion a series of dominoes that overturn each other,” said Lars Jensen, executive director of SeaIntelligence Consulting in Denmark. “The effect will not only be simple, immediate, with delayed loading in the next few weeks, but it will actually have repercussions for several months on the supply chain.”
Ever Date, built in 2018, with a length of almost 400 meters and a width of 59 meters, is one of the largest cargo ships in the world. It can carry about 20,000 containers at a time. He had previously been in Chinese ports before heading to Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and goods. It also remains one of the biggest currency winners in Egypt. In 2015, the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi completed a major canal extension, allowing it to house the world’s largest ships. However, Ever Date collapsed south of that new portion of the canal.
Tuesday, which is no longer on the market, marks the latest thing that has affected sailors amid the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands have been stranded aboard ships due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, the demand for shipping has increased, increasing the pressure on tired sailors.
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Isabel DeBre in Dubai and Mike Corder in The Hague, the Netherlands, contributed.