WORLD NEWS

Suez Canal Crews Need To Remove 706K Cubit Feet Of Sand To Free Ship

Mar 26, 2021, 8:18 AM

Suez Canal authorities need to remove 20,000 cubic meters of sand to free the Ever Given. This imag...

Suez Canal authorities need to remove 20,000 cubic meters of sand to free the Ever Given. This image shows an excavator attempting to free the front end of the Ever Given. (Picture-alliance/DPA/AP)

(Picture-alliance/DPA/AP)

Up to 20,000 cubic meters (706,000 cubic feet) of sand in the Suez Canal need to be removed to free the gigantic container ship that has been stuck there since Tuesday, according to the canal authorities.

The Ever Given, a container ship almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall, ran aground in the Egyptian canal after being caught in 40-knot winds and a sandstorm that caused low visibility and poor navigation.

It has blocked one of the world’s busiest waterways, prompting frantic salvage efforts including the use of two dredgers, nine tug boats and four diggers on the canal bank.

Dredgers are hard at work removing sand and mud from the bow of the ship — and they will need to move between 15,000 to 20,000 cubic meters (530,000 to 706,000 cubic feet) of sand in order to reach a depth of 12 to 16 meters (39 to 52 feet), which could allow the ship to float, the SCA said on Thursday. That’s approximately eight times the size of an Olympic swimming pool.

The Ever Given is owned by Japanese shipping company Shoei Kisen KK. The vessel’s owners hope to re-float the ship by Saturday night Japan time (Saturday morning ET), contrary to the belief held by shipping experts that it could take days or even weeks to free the 224,000-ton boat.

“The aim is to re-float the container by Saturday night local time,” Toshiaki Fujiwara, the company’s senior managing director, told CNN on Friday.

The crisis may lead to numerous legal claims.

Discussing potential damages claims, Fujiwara said that “the company has not received any claims at this point” adding that “it may take one [to] two or several years to come up with those details.”

Evergreen Marine, a Taiwanese company which operates the ship, has claimed that Shoei Kisen KK bears responsibility for the accident, Fujiwara confirmed.

Shipping experts remain concerned about the situation, with a CEO of a salvage company saying that the ship was “stuck rock solid.”

“Fortunately, the ship is in good shape, undamaged, so that is an important basic condition,” Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, told Dutch television on Thursday.

“But the first impression is also that it is stuck rock solid.”

Boskalis’ sister company Smit Salvage is one of the firms working to free the Ever Given.

“In addition to the dredgers already on site a specialized suction dredger is now with the vessel and will shortly begin work. This dredger can shift 2,000 cubic meters of material every hour,” said Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the technical manager of the Ever Given ship, in a statement.

The SCA added that it had discussed the option of moving the boat, which measures 400 meters (1,312 feet) long and 59 meters (193 feet) wide, by dredging the area around it.

The senior canal pilot at the SCA told CNN Wednesday that re-floating the massive vessel is “technically very complicated” and could take days.

A team of expert salvors from Dutch Smit Salvage and Japan’s Nippon Salvage, who worked on several high-profile operations in the past, have been appointed to help the Suez Canal Authority re-float the ship, the charter company Evergreen Marine said in a statement.

But each day that passes is comes at a high cost to companies and countries whose trade has been held up by the gridlock. About 12% of the world trade volume passes through the Suez Canal, and it usually handles about $10 billion a day in cargo.

Ships stranded

More than 18,800 ships with a net tonnage of 1.17 billion tonnes passed through the canal during 2020. That’s an average of 51.5 ships per day.

At least 160 ships carrying vital fuel and cargo are now waiting to pass through the blocked waterway, according to a senior canal pilot at the SCA. Some ships are deciding to divert their journey around Cape Horn to avoid the Suez Canal blockage — but they face an extra 3,800 miles and up to 12 days extra sailing time, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.

A new catamaran from Norway’s ferry and freight company Fjord Line is among the stranded vessels.

“We are anchoring outside Suez and just waiting to pass through canal,” a Fjord Line spokesperson told CNN.

The catamaran was “on its way home to Norway and Denmark. All of sudden it all stopped,” the spokesperson added. Eleven people from the firm are on board.

“It’s a bit boring of course but they are fine,” the spokesperson said. “They have water, they have food. The weather is nice.”

At least 10 ships, including oil and LNG tankers and container ships, have rerouted away from the canal, according to Marine Traffic and data intelligence firm Kpler.

“There are already now multiple ships … bypassing [the route from the Mediterranean into the canal] and are now going south … it is the right point in time to make that decision,” said Lars Jensen, the head of Sea Intelligence Consulting, a firm provides consultancy to the shipping industry.

“So for now, it will appear that the vessels that are waiting in line [in the canal], would simply cross [their] fingers and hope that this will be resolved,” he added.

The situation is expected to worsen over the weekend, with over 100 ships scheduled to join the vessels waiting at the waterway, bringing the total stranded to more than 300 vessels, financial data provider Refinitiv said.

“Not only will the goods aboard the Ever Given be severely delayed on their journey, but the hundreds of other ships are also affected. The damage done to the global supply chain will be significant,” said ICS Secretary General Guy Platten.

Experts worry that if the ship isn’t freed soon, the logjam could impact the oil market, shipping and container rates, leading to a rise in the cost of everyday goods.

“The majority of trade between Asia and Europe still relies on the Suez Canal, and given that vital goods including vital medical equipment and PPE, are moving via these ships we call on the Egyptian authorities do all they can to reopen the canal as soon as possible,” said Platten.

This isn’t the first time the canal, which opened in 1869, has faced a shutdown. It had to close between 1956 to 1957 due to Suez Crisis, also known as the second Arab-Israeli war. It shut down again in 1967 when Israel occupied the Sinai peninsula, and didn’t reopen until 1975.

But the closure now may have a much larger, more disruptive impact than during the last two shutdowns because the level of trade between Europe and Asia has grown substantially in the decades since.

“The size of shipping has become so big that it’s very hard for the Egyptian authorities to, basically, keep up with the growth,” said CNN’s senior international correspondent, Bill Wedeman, on Thursday. “The size of the Suez Canal in the last 50 years, the width of it, has basically doubled and clearly it’s still not big enough.”

KSL 5 TV Live

World News

FILE - Eggs are displayed on store shelves at a local grocery store in Chandler, Ariz., Jan. 21, 20...

Dee-Ann Burrin, AP Business Writer

What’s keeping egg prices high for Easter? It’s not just inflation

Egg prices are at near-historic highs in many parts of the world as Easter and Passover approach.

6 hours ago

Pope Francis...

Christopher Lamb, CNN

Pope Francis breaks annual Easter tradition

Pope Francis on Thursday has washed the feet of 12 women at a prison in Rome during a ceremony emphasizing humility.

11 hours ago

A Russian law enforcement officer near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shoot...

Associated Press

Death toll in Moscow concert hall attack rises to 140 after another victim dies in hospital

The death toll in last week’s Moscow concert hall attack rose to 140 on Wednesday after another victim died in a hospital, Russian officials said

2 days ago

Mukhammadsobir Faizov, a suspect in the shooting attack, appeared unresponsive in court, on Sunday....

Christian Edwards, Masha Angelova, Josh Pennington and Anna Chernova, CNN

Moscow concert hall attack suspects appear in court as Russia defends security services

The four men suspected of carrying out a brutal attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed at least 139 people have appeared in court on terror charges.

3 days ago

A critically endangered Western Lowland Gorilla mother holds her baby, one of two babies born at th...

Associated Press

Baby gorilla cuddled by mother at London Zoo remains nameless

The newest endangered baby gorilla at the London Zoo is more than six weeks old but doesn’t yet have a name. Zookeepers aren’t even sure if it’s a male or female because they haven’t been able to get close enough to examine it.

3 days ago

Those hoping to climb Everest this year will have to bring their excrement down with them from the ...

Amy Woodyatt

Everest climbers will have to take their poop away with them, as Nepal tries to address growing waste problem

Those hoping to climb Everest this year will have to make some slight adjustments to their packing list, as new rules now mandate that climbers bring their poop down with them.

4 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Suez Canal Crews Need To Remove 706K Cubit Feet Of Sand To Free Ship