SUEZ, (Egypt): Hope rose Sunday that salvage efforts could free a mammoth container ship that has blocked the Suez Canal for six days, crippling international trade and costing the global economy billions. As extra boats head to help salvage efforts, experts are pinning hopes on a Sunday evening high tide to help dislodge the craft.
Two tugboats — the Italian-flagged Carlo Magno and the Dutch-flagged Alp Guard — were steaming towards the vital waterway to help salvage operations, the MarineTraffic and VesselFinder ship-tracking websites said Sunday.
The MV Ever Given, which is longer than four football fields and towers over nearby palm trees and fields, has been wedged diagonally across the canal since Tuesday, blocking it in both directions.
The crisis has forced companies to choose between waiting or rerouting vessels around Africa, adding 9,000 kilometres (5,500 miles) and over a week to the trip between Asia and Europe, as well as vastly increased fuel costs.
Richard Meade, an editor at shipping data and news company Lloyd’s List, said sources “close to the salvage operation” had told him optimism was rising “and they were hoping that the vessel could be moved within the next 24-48 hours”.
Each day of the blockade could be costing global trade some $6-10 billion, according to a study published Friday by German insurer Allianz. That translates to some 0.2 to 0.4 percentage points of annual trade growth each week.
And with billions of dollars-worth of cargo now stalled at either end of the Suez Canal, many operators have already made alternative plans.
Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chief Osama Rabie had told reporters on Saturday that the megaship could be afloat by Sunday night, depending on how it responds to the high tides.
He also told an Egyptian news channel the ship had moved from side to side for the first time late Saturday.
“It is a good sign,” he said, adding that 14 tugboats were deployed around the stricken vessel and salvage crews were working round the clock.
Salvage teams are pressing efforts to remove sand around the ship, with 27,000 cubic metres (over 950,000 cubic feet) cleared so far at a depth of 18 metres, SCA spokesman George Safwat said Sunday.
The area has been placed under tight security, with extra military and police personnel deployed.
A high tide was expected to start Sunday night. Plamen Natzkoff, an expert at VesselsValue, has warned that if efforts to float vessel during that high tide, there could be further delays.
In response, there has been a “surge” in the number of vessels opting for the African route, Lloyd’s List said Sunday.
“Most major container lines are now diverting ships round Cape of Good Hope and warning of supply chain disruption ahead. Some are starting to reject bookings,” it said on Twitter.
Cargo giant Maersk said that by the end of the weekend, a total of 32 Maersk and partner vessels would be directly affected by the blockage, with 15 redirected. That “is expected to rise while the salvage assessment is being made,” it said.
French shipping giant CMA-CGM said Sunday two of its Asia-bound vessels would be re-routed, while it was considering air or rail transport for some clients.
Allianz warned the blockage was “the straw that breaks global trade’s back”.
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