THE giant container that is blocking the Suez Canal has finally been freed – but it will take days before the traffic jam is cleared.
Officials said that rescuers have successfully freed the front end of the monster cargo boat after moving the rear end hours earlier, canal services firm Leth Agencies said.
The 400m-long Ever Given became wedged in the shipping lane due to extreme weather conditions last Tuesday.
The ship is now being towed to the middle of the waterway and toward the Great Bitter Lake, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south end of the canal.
Yet, it remains unclear when the major trading route will reopen again for the hundreds of others boats waiting to pass through.
The 400m-long Ever Given became wedged in the shipping lane due to extreme weather conditions last Tuesday holding up £6.5billion a day in global trade.
Apart from goods, some 130,000 head of livestock on 11 ships sent from Romania have also been held up as a result of Ever Given’s stranding.
“My greatest fear is that animals run out of food and water and they get stuck on the ships because they cannot be unloaded somewhere else for paperwork reasons,” Gerit Weidinger, EU coordinator for NGO Animals International, told The Guardian.
Egypt has sent fodder and three teams of vets to examine livestock stuck at sea – some bound for Jordan.
Follow our live blog below for all the latest Suez Canal news and updates…
- Hana Carter
SALVAGE CHIEF PRAISES TEAM
The boss of the salvage firm who were given the task of rescuing the Ever Given praised workers.
Peter Berdowski, chief executive of Boskalis, said in a statement: “Shortly following the grounding of the Ever Given we were requested through SMIT Salvage to provide assistance with the salvage operation.
“I am excited to announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority, successfully refloated the Ever Given on 29 March at 3.05pm local time, thereby making free passage through the Suez Canal possible again.
“I’m extremely proud of the outstanding job done by the team on site as well as the many SMIT Salvage and Boskalis colleagues back home to complete this challenging operation under the watchful eye of the world.
“The time pressure to complete this operation was evident and unprecedented.”
- Hana Carter
'CLAPS, WHISTLES AND JUBILATION ALL AROUND'
The man known as 'Guy with The Digger At Suez Canal' has tweeted that he was happy and relieved after the Ever Given was freed.
- Hana Carter
EVER GIVEN IS FREE
A Suez Canal service firm says the Ever Given has been set free and is on the move.
- Hana Carter
BREAKING: SUEZ CANAL
Ever Given is finally free. More to come.
- John Hall
UNCLEAR WHEN SUEZ CANAL WILL OPEN TO OTHER BOATS
The mega-ship longer than the Eiffel Tower blocking the Suez Canal has been partially refloated thanks to high tides brought on by a supermoon.
Photos showed the Ever Given had straightened after its stern had swung towards the canal bank.
Yet, it remains unclear when the major trading route will reopen again for the hundreds of others boats waiting to pass through.
Officials said that while the boat has been partially refloated, rescuers were still working to get the ship moving again.
Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch firm Boskalis which is helping in the rescue effort, said the front end of the boat still needs to be freed.
He said: “We have movement, which is good news. But I wouldn’t say it’s a piece of cake now.
He added that the most difficult part of the operation was hauling the mammoth boat over the clay of the canal bank.
- John Hall
OIL PRICES FALL AS SHIP REMAINS PARTIALLY STUCK
Oil prices fell today as the Ever Given was partially refloated, raising hopes the waterway would soon be back in action.
Brent oil was down 29 cents, or 0.5%, at $64.28/bbl this morning, according to Hart Energy.
WTI crude in the U.S. fell 55 cents, or 1%, to $60.42/bbl.
“Now that the Suez mini-crisis is being resolved the oil market is left to its own fundamental devices again,” said PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga.
“Attention will shift back to the stuttering inoculation programs, the seemingly unstoppable rise in infection rates in several parts of the world and the upcoming OPEC meeting on April 1,” he added.
Officials said that while the boat has been partially refloated, rescuers were still working to get the ship moving again.
- John Hall
42 MINUTES AGO
FEARS FOR 130,000 ANIMALS ON SHIPS
Apart from goods, some 130,000 head of livestock on 11 ships sent from Romania have also been held up as a result of Ever Given’s stranding.
“My greatest fear is that animals run out of food and water and they get stuck on the ships because they cannot be unloaded somewhere else for paperwork reasons,” Gerit Weidinger, EU coordinator for NGO Animals International, told The Guardian.
Egypt has sent fodder and three teams of vets to examine livestock stuck at sea – some bound for Jordan.
Sweden’s IKEA said it has 110 containers on the stricken Ever Given and other ships in the pile-up.
“The blockage of the Suez Canal is an additional constraint to an already challenging and volatile situation for global supply chains brought on by the pandemic,” an IKEA spokesperson said.
- John Hall
INSURANCE INDUSTRY BRACES FOR CLAIMS
The insurance industry is bracing for claims taken out on the containers stacked high on the Ever Given.
Potentially thousands of insurance policies taken out on the steel boxes could result in millions of dollars in payouts, Bloomberg reported.
Taiwan's Evergreen Line, which chartered the Ever Given, said the ship's owner, Shoie Kisen Kaisha Ltd, was responsible for any losses.
While the shipowner has taken some responsibility, it has said that charterers needed to deal with the cargo owners.
- Hana Carter
- John Hall
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR A SHIP TO PASS THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL?
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important routes, and it’s costing $400million per hour in delayed goods, Lloyd’s List reported.
The canal, which runs through Egypt, provides a vital shipping route that connects Europe to Asia.
Lloyd’s List, a London-based shipping-news journal, estimated the value of cargo goods passing through the canal every day at $9.7billion on average, with $5.1billion travelling west and $4.6billion travelling east.
The average number of vessels passing through the canal each day is 93 – which is why hundreds of ships are currently trapped around the stuck Ever Given.
Some 19,000 vessels passed through the canal last year, according to official figures.
- John Hall
EVER GIVEN PARTIALLY REFLOATED THANKS TO SUPERMOON
High tides brought on by a supermoon are partially to thank for the refloating of the mega-shop blocking the Suez Canal.
Photos showed the Ever Given had straightened after its stern had swung towards the canal bank allowing other boats to pass.
Canal officials said the Ever Given had been turned “80 per cent in the right direction” after the stern was shifted with “pulling manoeuvres” that moved it 335ft from the bank.
Around 10 tugboats were helped by several diggers which vacuumed up sand underneath at high tide brought on by a “supermoon” – a full moon which provides higher tides due to its gravitational pull on the earth.
- John Hall
CLEARING BACKLOG OF SHIPS COULD TAKE AT LEAST 10 DAYS
If the Ever Given is freed in the next few days, clearing the backlog of ships would take at least 10 days, data firm Refinitiv has said.
The 400m-long Ever Given became wedged in the shipping lane due to extreme weather conditions last Tuesday.
It has been holding up £6.5billion a day in global trade.
Canal officials said the Ever Given had been turned "80 per cent in the right direction" after the stern was shifted with "pulling manoeuvres" that moved it 335ft from the bank.
- John Hall
SHIPPERS MAY BE OFFERED DISCOUNTS
Shippers affected by the ongoing blockage may be offered discounts, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chairman Osama Rabie told Egypt’s Extra News.
Rabie said added that he believed investigations would show the Suez Canal was not responsible for grounding the Ever Given, one of the world’s biggest container ships.
At least 369 boats are waiting to transit the canal, Rabie confirmed today.
These include dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels.
- John Hall
HOPES SUEZ CANAL WILL SOON REOPEN
There are hopes the Suez Canal will soon be open for business, after the Ever Given was partially refloated this morning.
After further dredging and excavation work was carried out over the weekend, rescue workers from the SCA and a team from Dutch firm Smit Salvage worked to free the ship using tug boats, Reuters reported.
The Ever Given had been mostly straightened along the eastern bank of the canal this morning, and tugging was expected to resume later today when the tide rises.
“It is very possible that by today noon shipping activity would resume, god willing,” SCA Chairman Osama Rabie told Egyptian state television on Monday. “We will not waste one second.”
The SCA has said it can accelerate convoys through the canal once the Ever Given is freed.
- John Hall
WHERE IS THE SHIP STUCK?
The over 200,000 ton ship, the Ever Given, is stuck around 3.7 miles north of the canal’s Red Sea entrance near the city of Suez.
It is wedged into the canal banks, meaning crews have to excavate a 50-to-60ft chasm beneath the grounded bow and stern to free the stranded vessel.
Around 87% of the work was said to be complete last night, with 17,000 cubic metres of sand being removed.
- John Hall
WHO IS TAKING THE OTHER ROUTE?
According to Lloyd’s List, two major shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, are exploring their options into re-routing their vessels instead of getting stranded on the Suez.
The Ever Given’s sister ship, the Ever Greet, which is also operated by the Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine, was the first ship opting to take the longer journey around the Cape of Good Hope.
The longer route can take up to two weeks longer than the Suez passage usually takes. Lloyd’s List Editor, Richard Meade, told the BBC the risk of piracy in this area has been somewhat exaggerated.
“Obviously, we did see a major piracy surge a few years ago off the Somali coast. That has largely been brought under control,” he explained.
“The Gulf of Guinea is the hotspot. But I think realistically you would see ships move well outside the Gulf of Guinea as the route.”
- Alice Peacock
PLAYSTATION 5 STOCK LIKELY HELD UP ON EVER GIVEN
It is believed that new stocks of the Playstation 5 have been held up by the blockade on the Suez Canal.
Business Insider pointed out in its report on the ship's situation that consumer electronics like video game consoles are usually built in factories in Asia, and then taken to other markets via maritime routes.
According to Gaming Bible, there is a concurrent shortage of semiconductors that are used in a variety of electronic devices like televisions, cars, laptops, phones, and digital cameras.
The companies that make semiconductors are now doing their best to catch up with the demand as a result of the shortage, which was caused by the pandemic.
The Suez Canal, an artificial waterway that connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the biggest trade routes for countless industries and facilitates approximately 12% of total trade around the world.
- John Hall
OIL PRICES FALL AS SHIP REMAINS PARTIALLY STUCK
Oil prices fell today as the Ever Given was partially refloated, raising hopes the waterway would soon be back in action.
Brent oil was down 29 cents, or 0.5%, at $64.28/bbl this morning, according to Hart Energy.
WTI crude in the U.S. fell 55 cents, or 1%, to $60.42/bbl.
“Now that the Suez mini-crisis is being resolved the oil market is left to its own fundamental devices again,” said PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga.
“Attention will shift back to the stuttering inoculation programs, the seemingly unstoppable rise in infection rates in several parts of the world and the upcoming OPEC meeting on April 1,” he added.
Officials said that while the boat has been partially refloated, rescuers were still working to get the ship moving again.
- John Hall
WHEN DID THE EVER GIVEN BECOME STUCK?
The 200,000-tonne vessel, which carries cargo between Asia and Europe, became stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal last Tuesday.
High winds are understood to have blown the boat, which was en route to the Netherlands from China, across the narrow canal that runs between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
With canal transits stopped, Egypt already has lost over $95 million in revenue, according to Refinitiv.
- John Hall
UNCLEAR WHEN SUEZ CANAL WILL OPEN TO OTHER BOATS
The mega-ship longer than the Eiffel Tower blocking the Suez Canal has been partially refloated thanks to high tides brought on by a supermoon.
Photos showed the Ever Given had straightened after its stern had swung towards the canal bank.
Yet, it remains unclear when the major trading route will reopen again for the hundreds of others boats waiting to pass through.
Officials said that while the boat has been partially refloated, rescuers were still working to get the ship moving again.
Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch firm Boskalis which is helping in the rescue effort, said the front end of the boat still needs to be freed.
He said: "We have movement, which is good news. But I wouldn't say it's a piece of cake now.
He added that the most difficult part of the operation was hauling the mammoth boat over the clay of the canal bank.
- Alice Peacock
WHY IS THE SUEZ CANAL SO IMPORTANT?
The Suez Canal is the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe and is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes.
On average 50 vessels per day pass along the canal, although at times the number can be much higher.
The canal is 120 miles long, 672ft wide and 78ft deep meaning it can handle the world’s biggest ships, which take around 11 hours to pass through.
Ships have been grounded in the canal before and in 2017 a Japanese ship became stuck but was re-floated within hours.
- John Hall
WHY IS THE SUEZ CANAL SO IMPORTANT?
The Suez Canal is the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe and is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes.
On average 50 vessels per day pass along the canal, although at times the number can be much higher.
The canal is 120 miles long, 672ft wide and 78ft deep meaning it can handle the world’s biggest ships, which take around 11 hours to pass through.
Ships have been grounded in the canal before and in 2017 a Japanese ship became stuck but was re-floated within hours.
- John Hall
SUEZ CRISIS WAS INEVITABLE, RESEARCHER SAYS
A leading researcher at Plymouth University’s maritime cyberthreat research group blames cargo companies over doing it and suggested the crisis was inevitable.
Rory Hopcraft explained: “The ships are not just larger, they’re carrying more goods. So rather than spreading the risks over three or four smaller ships, all your eggs are in one basket – it’s all tied up in one big ship.
“Half the world’s ports can’t even deal with ships this size,” he continued.
“If those terminals that can (accommodate megaships), aren’t able to service them for whatever reason – local power cuts or military action – then these ships can’t be serviced at all,” referring to the weaknesses of the entire supply chain, that leaves ships open to piracy or cyberattacks.
- John Hall
EVER GIVEN PARTIALLY REFLOATED THANKS TO SUPERMOON
High tides brought on by a supermoon are partially to thank for the refloating of the mega-shop blocking the Suez Canal.
Photos showed the Ever Given had straightened after its stern had swung towards the canal bank allowing other boats to pass.
Canal officials said the Ever Given had been turned "80 per cent in the right direction" after the stern was shifted with "pulling manoeuvres" that moved it 335ft from the bank.
Around 10 tugboats were helped by several diggers which vacuumed up sand underneath at high tide brought on by a "supermoon" – a full moon which provides higher tides due to its gravitational pull on the earth.
- John Hall
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST FOR A SHIP TO PASS THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL?
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important routes, and it’s costing $400million per hour in delayed goods, Lloyd’s List reported.
The canal, which runs through Egypt, provides a vital shipping route that connects Europe to Asia.
Lloyd’s List, a London-based shipping-news journal, estimated the value of cargo goods passing through the canal every day at $9.7billion on average, with $5.1billion travelling west and $4.6billion travelling east.
The average number of vessels passing through the canal each day is 93 – which is why hundreds of ships are currently trapped around the stuck Ever Given.
Some 19,000 vessels passed through the canal last year, according to official figures.
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