In a press conference on Saturday, 27 March, head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie stated that the Ever Given, the large container ship blocking the Suez Canal and halting over 12 percent of international trade at a fragile moment of the global economy, has moved slightly, but it is not clear whether it will refloat. So far, 14 tugboats have aided in the moving of the container, and around 20,000 cubic meters of sand have been dredged from beneath the ship. The refloating of the boat, however, is not a simple process as one wrong move could irreversibly damage the ship, according to the Dutch firm Boskalis. The rescue operation could last anywhere from days to weeks. The head of Boskalis, whose daughter company Smit Salvage has been hired by the ship’s Japanese owning company, Shoei Kisen, to help in moving the ship, announced that in the coming days, heavier tugboats with a combined capacity of 400 tons would arrive to the scene. According to Rabie, strong winds and limited visibility from a recent sandstorm may have contributed to the accident, however, he affirmed that they cannot…
Suez Canal Jam Update: Container Ship Moves Slightly; Rescue Effort Ongoing
March 27, 2021
