Suez Canal: Tugs resume effort to clear Ever Given container ship blockage in
The Ever Given vessel — which is almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall — ran aground diagonally across the single-lane stretch of the southern canal on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement.
It is now blocking transit in both directions through one of the world’s busiest shipping channels.
Marine services firm GAC issued a note to clients overnight saying efforts to free the vessel using tug boats continued, but that wind conditions and the sheer size of the vessel “were hindering the operation.”
Ship-tracking software shows five tugs surrounding the Ever Given and three more heading towards it. The ship’s GPS signal shows only minor changes to its position over the past 24 hours, however.
Several dozen vessels, including other large container ships, tankers carrying oil and gas, and bulk vessels hauling grain have backed up at either end of the canal to create one of the worst shipping jams seen for years.
Roughly 30% of the world’s shipping container volume transits through the 193 kilometer (120 mile) Suez Canal daily, and about 12% of total global trade of all goods.
Shipping experts say that if the blockage is not likely to be cleared within the next 24 to 48 hours, some shipping firms may be forced to reroute vessels around the southern tip of Africa, which would add about a week to the journey.
But the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority told media that despite the blockage, some cargo was able to move south and efforts to dislodge Ever Given would continue.
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