Suez Canal crisis deepens as efforts to free stranded ship fail

(Karachi) Egypt's Suez Canal Authority Head Oussama Rabieh has said that the wedged cargo ship may need to be unloaded to refloat it while efforts are underway to unblock the Suez Canal.

As per details, the 400-meter-long Ever Green gigantic container has been blocking one of the canal's main arteries leading up to massive maritime traffic and affecting international trade that uses the waterway.

Rabieh stated that due to the blockage of the canal, more than 300 other ships are stranded and waiting for the waterway to get cleared.

He said the depth of the canal at the point where the ship is blocked is about 24 meters at its midsection but considerably less deep along the sides, so the ship must be made lighter to refloat it.

The Suz Canal Authority head maintained that some 9,000 tons of water had been removed to lighten the ship and large quantities of sand had been dredged from around it. However, he said it is not clear whether workers would remove some of the 20,000 containers the ship is carrying.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli said that Egypt is trying to make use of all the resources and expertise available to resolve the issue.

He said those who use the canal know what the depths are in different spots and how ships need to transit these areas, and as a result, there is a corps of experts to deal with different types of ships and how to maneuver them.

Earlier, an attempt to refloat the stranded container ship failed. Initial investigations revealed that the vessel was grounded because of strong winds. The officials have ruled out any mechanical or engine failure as the ship was transiting the canal with two canal pilots on board.