Taiwan's freighter is still stuck in the Suez Canal. Taiwan media estimates that the damage caused by the blockage of the canal is about US$400 million per hour.
[Global Times Special Correspondent Zhang Tianxing] After Taiwan’s Evergreen Shipping’s super-large container ship "Changci" accidentally bottomed and blocked the Suez Canal in Egypt, it has been more than 40 hours as of the press time. The shipping company has asked the Dutch company for help.
American CNN quoted shipping experts as saying that it may take several days to several weeks for the "Long Grant" crisis to be resolved.
The freighter was built in 2018, with a width of about 59 meters, a length of about 400 meters, and a displacement of about 220,000 tons. It is the world's largest container ship and is classified as an ultra-large freighter.
It is owned by Zhengrong Steamship Company in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, operated by Taiwan Evergreen Marine Charter, registered in Panama, and originally scheduled to arrive in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam on the 31st from China.
Taiwan’s “Central News Agency” stated that after the Evergreen container ship accidentally ran aground on the Suez Canal, there was limited progress in helping it escape on the 25th.
GAC, a maritime service company headquartered in Dubai, UAE, said that the earlier news about the "Changci" was not accurate. Its shipping management company, Bays Ship Management, revealed that as of the morning of the 25th, it was still stuck in the canal. , The rescue operation continues.
Japan's Masei Steamship Company issued a statement on its official website on the 25th to apologize, stating that although it is trying to escape, "the situation is extremely difficult."
Marine salvage expert Sloan believes that the best time to assist the "Longci" out of trouble may have to wait until the high tide period of March 28 or 29.
Sloan once led the salvage of the luxury cruise ship "Costa Concorde" that hit a rock off the coast of Italy in 2012.
A spokesperson for Dutch maritime engineering services company Boskalis told Reuters that its subsidiaries have accepted the entrustment to help the container ship get out of trouble, and the 10-member team has set off for Egypt.
The China Times Electronic News reported on the 25th that Evergreen is currently working actively. After unsuccessful handling with a tug in the first two days, it is now using an excavator to dig up the riverbank.
Before the blockage of the river is lifted, the Canal Authority is guiding other ships to change to the old waterway.
Regarding the cause of the accident, Evergreen Marine stated that when the "Changci" entered the Suez Canal from the north of the Red Sea on the morning of the 23rd local time, it was suddenly hit by a strong wind 6 nautical miles at the southern end of the estuary, causing the hull to deviate from the channel and bottomed out.
The GAC stated that the ship had suffered a “whole ship blackout”, which meant that it had lost its power and steering functions before being trapped. The cause of the accident is not yet known.
However, a spokesperson for the Suez Canal Authority revealed that a sandstorm obscured the captain's view, and strong winds simultaneously blew the ship away from the channel, and then stranded and lost power.
An unnamed shipping lawyer said: "This may be the world's largest container ship disaster without ship collisions." The Suez Canal is an important channel for energy transportation, and Middle Eastern oil is transported to Europe, the United States, Russia and the United States through this waterway. North Sea oil is transported to Asia through this.
In addition, about 8% of the world's natural gas is also transported by the canal.
"China Times" said on the 25th that this world's one of the most busy trade and traffic routes has been paralyzed, and the worry of crude oil shortage has caused oil prices to rise by 2%; if the situation of the congestion vessel cannot be alleviated, it may disrupt the global energy supply chain and affect international oil prices. And global logistics.
Reuters said that after the canal was blocked for several hours, 10 oil tankers at both ends were impassable, carrying 13 million barrels of crude oil.
Bloomberg said that if the passage of the Suez Canal continues to be blocked, the European and American refineries that rely on this channel to obtain Middle Eastern oil may be forced to find alternative sources of supply; this may push up the price of alternative regional oil, and the North Sea region will export oil to Asia. Crude oil will also be suspended.
China Times reported that it roughly estimated the damage caused by the blockage of the Suez Canal at approximately US$400 million per hour.
Taiwan’s "Economic Daily" said, "How much money is stuck in a day to paralyze the Suez Canal?" The answer is 9.6 billion U.S. dollars.
The media specifically mentioned that many regions rely on the Suez Canal to transport daily necessities. The world's largest pulp manufacturer has warned that global cargo ship jams may cause interruptions in the supply of wood pulp, which is the raw material for the production of toilet paper.
The article said that Taiwan had a "toilet paper chaos" at the beginning of the outbreak of the epidemic last year, and now I am afraid that a new round of risks will be aggravated by the congestion in the Suez Canal.
At the same time, the sky-high compensation has attracted much attention on the island.
According to Reuters, even if the "Changci" is quickly out of trouble, as one of the world's largest container ships, its owner and insurer may face millions of dollars for the large amount of cargo on board, the excavation costs of the rescue process, and pollution costs. The claim for compensation has also made this case the largest compensation case in the global freight forwarding industry.
In addition to claims from the Suez Canal Authority, the owner of the ship whose passage was blocked due to the grounding of the "Nagai" and its insurers will also claim loss of income and seek compensation; the owner of the cargo carried on the ship, and Owners of cargo on other ships that were immobile due to the "Changci" can claim damages from the ship's insurer for the perishable cargo, or claim compensation for delayed delivery.
The British Mutual Insurance Association, which is responsible for Evergreen Insurance's compensation, refused to respond to the specific content and amount of compensation, only stating that Evergreen's insurance covers pollution and injury compensation.
On the 25th, Zhang Yanyi, chairman of Evergreen Shipping, replied in writing to Taiwan’s “Ministry of Transportation” stating that the “Changci” is a long-term chartered ship of the company. Any operational error or force majeure on board that causes damage to the ship is all ships. Dong’s responsibility is also true of this accident.