Hopes for blocked Suez Canal hinge on rising tide to free ship

SMAILIA, EGYPT

The global economic troubles triggered by a giant container ship stuck in the Suez Canal worsened on Saturday with the blockage of more ships carrying billions of dollars of goods. But hopes also grew that favorable tidal conditions could help free the Ever Given as an American

Navy team was expected to arrive this weekend to assist in the operations.

A total of 321 vessels — carrying crude oil, cars, livestock and other commodities — were stuck in a massive maritime traffic jam at both ends of the 120-mile waterway, as well as in the middle, according to Leth Agencies, the canal’s service provider.

Two days ago, the number was 156.

More than 100 more ships in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea were en route to the canal, said analysts, though a growing number of vessels were being diverted through the southern tip of Africa as concerns grew that refloating the Ever Given could take weeks.

The ship is currently wedged sideways in a single-lane stretch of the canal, roughly four miles north of the waterway’s southern entrance.

On Friday night, the ship’s Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen, injected a bit of hope by suggesting that tidal movements on Saturday looked favorable enough for another attempt to refloat the Ever Given. Yukito Higaki, the company’s president, told reporters in Japan that the ongoing dredging of the banks and sea floor to refloat the ship could be assisted by a high tide, which would raise the water in the canal and potentially push the ship upward.

On Saturday, 14 tugs were still trying to free the vessel, said Leth Agencies, noting unconfirmed reports by Egyptian media that the ship’s propeller and rudder had been released by the salvage operations, which includes a specialized suction dredger capable of shifting 70,600 cubic feet of sand every hour.

If the tides don’t help free the vessel, Shoei Kisen said in a statement that it would consider removing the containers to reduce the vessel’s weight.