The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, revealed that a new process had begun to float the ship stuck in the canal for days, most likely the cause of its delinquency, a technical or human error, while Cairo expressed its thanks for the offers of international assistance.
Rabie said - in a press conference today, Saturday - that more than 321 ships were waiting at the entrances to the Suez Canal, and confirmed that the excavation work beneath the stranded ship had ended, and that a new floatation process for the stranded ship began today using giant tugging locomotives, in cooperation with international companies specialized in maritime rescue work. .
He reported that 14 tugboats have been making efforts since Friday to float the delinquent ship.
He pointed out that the land of the corridor is difficult to contain, as it contains solid rocks, in addition to the severe tides witnessed by the canal.
Reuters quoted 3 informed sources as saying that if the attempt did not succeed today, there will be another attempt tomorrow morning, Sunday, and the sources said that it will be necessary to remove more sand surrounding the ship in order to re-float.
The head of the Suez Canal Authority excludes that wind speed is the main reason behind the ship's stranding (Reuters)
Causes of the accident
Regarding the causes of the ship’s delinquency, the head of the Suez Canal Authority ruled out that wind speed is the main reason for the ship’s delinquency. It is likely that there was a technical or human error that caused the ship’s delinquency, indicating that this would appear in the investigations.
The Egyptian official confirmed that no injuries were recorded in the delinquency or pollution in the water of the corridor.
The container ship "Evergiven" drifted last Tuesday morning in the southern side of the canal near the city of Suez. The vessel, which was on a voyage from China to Rotterdam, is 400 meters long, 59 meters wide, and its total cargo is 224,000 tons.
Taiwan's Evergreen Marine leases the vessel from the Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha.
Figures indicate that nearly 19 thousand ships passed through the Suez Canal last year carrying more than one billion tons of cargo.
For its part, a Dutch company working to float the giant container ship said that the ship could be freed within the next few days.
The operator of the giant cargo ship "Evergiven" expressed its hope for the success of the flotation attempts, which resumed today.
International support
For his part, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly praised the international support during the delinquent ship accident.
Madbouly said that Egypt was facing an exceptional accident in the Suez Canal, adding that international expertise had been sought to help float the delinquent ship.
On Friday, the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Adel Karah Ismailoglu, announced that his country is ready to provide assistance in reshaping the delinquent ship in the canal.
On Friday, the United States announced its readiness to assist Egypt in trying to float the ship, and US President Joe Biden said that his country possesses equipment and capabilities that most countries do not have, and that Washington is studying how to help solve the situation in the Suez Canal.
The British newspaper The Times indicated that the removal of the giant cargo ship that caused the closure of the Suez Canal could take weeks, leading to a crisis in international shipping and a possible shortage of basic commodities and fuel, according to experts.