Suez Canal: the owner of the failed container ship would like to get it back afloat as soon as possible
The “Ever Given”, the giant container ship beached in the Suez Canal.
VIA REUTERS - HANDOUT
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4 min
Maritime traffic is suspended for the third consecutive day in the Suez Canal following the grounding of the “Ever Given”, a giant container ship, in the middle of the international waterway.
A new attempt to free the ship must take place this Friday, March 26.
According to the Japanese economic newspaper "
Nikkei
"
, the Japanese owner of the container ship which is blocking navigation on the Suez Canal believes that it can get it back on the water faster than anticipated so far.
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From our correspondent in Tokyo
,
Frédéric Charles
It was thought that it would take days or even weeks to refloat the container ship blocking navigation on the Suez Canal.
The Japanese owner of the container ship is a little more optimistic.
But can not assure that its work will be completed overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
►Also read: A giant container ship runs aground in the Suez Canal blocking all passage
“
We are trying to remove the sediment around
Ever Given
.
We dig under the bow of the ship.
We have additional dredging tools.
We are also organizing the dispatch of two large tugs.
Five experts from an insurance company are working with local authorities,
”
Yukito Higaki, CEO of the Shoei Kisen group, owner of the container ship
, told the
Nikkei
newspaper
.
The Japanese group is still investigating the cause of the accident.
It might be due to a rapid change in weather conditions.
The navigation instruments were functioning normally.
According to the financial rating agency Moody's, even if "
the situation is resolved within 48 hours
", the congestion of ships caused by the accident in the Suez Canal and the accumulated delays in the supply chains will take several years. days before a return to normal.
All attempts over the past two days to refloat the ship have failed.
The bulb of the bow of Ever Given is deeply embedded in the east bank of the Suez Canal, while the stern touches the west bank.
This makes towing maneuvers extremely difficult, reports
our correspondent in Cairo
,
Alexandre Buccianti
.
The dredgers sent to clear the bank around the bow failed due to the rocky nature of the terrain.
We are now talking about the possibility of lightening the ship by more than 200,000 tonnes of fuel and ballast water, but this could capsize the Ever Given under the weight of the 20,000 containers it carries.
The other alternative is to tranship the containers.
But Egypt does not have the necessary floating crane.
In the meantime, a traffic jam of nearly 200 ships has formed north and south of the Canal.
The direct losses for Egypt are estimated, so far, at around fifty million euros.
Almost 10% of world maritime trade, especially oil, passes through the Suez Canal.
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