Suez Canal ship ‘now moving,’ owner and officials say

0
261
This picture taken from a nearby tugboat shows the Ever Given as it begins to move on March 29.

Japan-owned Ever Given has blocked vital shipping lane for six days.

he Ever Given, the ship stranded in the Suez Canal, started to move on Monday, authorities and its owner said — raising hope that an end is in sight to a six-day blockage of one of the world’s busiest maritime lanes.

The Suez Canal Authority said that the Japanese-owned container ship had successfully floated in response to efforts by a fleet of tugboats. The ship’s course was significantly altered and its stern was now more than 100 meters away from the shore, the authority said.

Maneuvers were scheduled to resume again as the water level in the canal rises to its maximum height, allowing the ship’s course to be completely modified.

Lieutenant-General Osama Rabie, the chairman of the canal authority, “sent a message of reassurance to the international maritime community to resume navigation in the canal once the vessel is fully floated soon and directed to wait in the Lakes region for its technical examination,” said the SCA statement.

Shoei Kisen, the ship’s Japanese owner, told Nikkei that the ship was pulled by tugboats, as well as engaging the engine of the ship to add power.

The containership, 400 meters long and weighing more than 200,000 tons, became stranded in the canal on March 23 after hitting the banks of the waterway. It brought the canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, to a standstill, sparking fears of disruption to world trade. About 12% of global trade goes through Suez, and hundreds of vessels have been backed up at each end of the 190 km canal.

Teams using excavators and tugs have battled to free the ship, hoping to refloat it without having to remove its cargo — a complex and time-consuming operation that would involve handling thousands of containers far from the usual port facilities.

Despite the initial hope to rescue the ship on Saturday, the grounded part of the ship was “heavier than expected,” Toshiaki Fujiwara, senior managing director, told Nikkei. “That was why it was not successful” over the weekend, he said.

Inchcape Shipping Services, a provider of maritime services, said in a tweet on Monday that the Ever Given “was successfully re-floated at 04:30” local time.

“She is being secured at the moment. More information about next steps will follow once they are known,” Inchcape said.