Containership Blocking Suez Canal Remains Stuck
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A giant containership remains stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes that’s vital for the movement of everything from oil to consumer goods.
The Ever Given, a containership longer than the Eiffel Tower, ran aground in the southern part of the canal in Egypt, leaving dozens of vessels gridlocked as they attempt to transit between the Red Sea and Mediterranean. One port agent said earlier that traffic could resume by tomorrow, but the Suez Canal Authority remains silent on the matter.
The 193-kilometer-long (120-mile) Suez Canal is among the most trafficked waterways in the world, used by oil tankers shipping crude from the Middle East to Europe and North America. About 12% of global trade and 8% of liquefied natural gas pass through the canal, as do around 1 million barrels of oil each day.
No progress has been made so far in floating the vessel and clearing the canal, Gulf Agency Co.. which provides services including Suez transits, said by email. Images released by the Suez Canal Authority showed the vessel’s hull firmly wedged into a banking. They also depicted efforts by the Baraka 1, one of eight tug boats deployed so far in the rescue, to try and yank the ship free.
WATCH: A giant container ship is blocking the Suez Canal, potentially choking one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes for days https://t.co/6RAylYpb6h pic.twitter.com/Jup9ahHOoB — Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) March 24, 2021
The weight of the Ever Given — about 224,000 tons — and small size of the tug boats operated by canal authorities have hampered work so far, according to two people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified discussing private details. Ship owners are in talks with SMIT Salvage B.V., which has larger tugs, to assist, indicating that it may take days to clear the canal, one of the people said.
Another effort to dislodge the ship will be made at high tide just after 8 p.m. local time, said a shipping agent. If that doesn’t succeed, the next high tide is 8:43 a.m. on Thursday, the agent said.
Ever Given was grounded early March 23 amid poor visibility caused by a dust storm and as wind speeds reached 40 knots, resulting in a “loss of the ability to steer the ship,” according to the canal authority. A “blackout” was the cause of the accident, GAC said, without providing more detail.
The vessel deviated “from its course due to suspected sudden strong wind,” Taiwan-based Evergreen Line, the time charterer of the vessel, said in an email response to questions. Japan’s Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., among those listed as the ship’s owner, declined to comment.
“The salvage operation with tugs is underway, and hopefully the vessel will be freed soon, but it could last days,”, said Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at shipbroker Banchero Costa & Co.
The blockage has led to a big gridlock in the area. About 42 vessels either in the northbound convoy or arriving to transit the canal northbound are now waiting for the Ever Given to be refloated, Leth Agencies, one of the top providers of Suez Canal crossing services, said in a notice to clients. The company said it is sending a dredger to help free the ship.
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About 64 vessels traveling southbound also were affected. GAC said 15 affected ships are waiting at anchorage.
Brent crude climbed 2.9% to $62.52 a barrel by 9.36 a.m. in London, paring heavy losses March 23.
Ever Given was traveling from China to Rotterdam, Netherlands. The crew are safe and accounted for, and there have been no reports of injuries or pollution, according to the ship’s manager, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.
The vessel is carrying cargo for logistics company Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd., according to OOCL spokesman Mark Wong.
At 400 meters in length, Ever Given was built in Japan about three years ago. Shipping companies have been turning to megasize vessels to help improve economies of scale, while some key routes — including the Suez Canal — have been widened and deepened over the years to accommodate them.
Navigation is possible along the old canal, the canal authority said. But the vessel is stuck at a point that can’t be bypassed, so the old canal can’t help.
The canal has been the site of occasional groundings that have halted shipping. Tugboats managed to get the OOCL Japan unstuck after a few hours in October 2017. In one of the most serious delays, the canal was closed for three days in 2004 after an oil tanker, Tropic Brilliance, got lodged.
Any prolonged disruption could mean ships need to reroute. Bypassing the Suez Canal by traveling around the Cape of Good Hope can add another two weeks to the voyage from Asia to Europe, leading to significant additional costs and disrupting schedules, said Banchero’s Leszczynski.
The shipping industry has had a tumultuous year since the COVID-19 pandemic began roiling global trade in 2020. As countries closed borders to try keep the virus under control, exports from China surged, leading to a dearth of containers and sending maritime rates soaring. The pandemic also exacerbated labor abuse in the industry, with thousands of seafarers stuck on vessels beyond the expiration of their contracts and past the requirements of globally accepted safety standards.
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