Suez ship: We have shift-off
Slight budge offers hope but crisis could still hit shops in UK
THE cargo ship Ever Given yesterday moved for the first time since becoming wedged sideways in the Suez Canal.
The glimmer of hope came five days after the huge ship blocked the vital shipping route, sending global trade into pandemonium.
The Taiwanese-owned 1,300-ft vessel became wedged on both banks on Tuesday in a 985ft-wide section of the canal that links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
Yesterday Osama Rable, head of Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority, said 20,000 tonnes of sand had been removed by dredgers during efforts to dislodge the 220,000tonne ship. This had led to movement in the stern and rudder, but the vessel was still not afloat.
The incident will leave shops struggling to stock hundreds of items. Experts say there could be months of price rises and shortages – just as UK stores re-open.
And a security specialist has warned that the disruption could “give terrorists ideas” about “holding world trade to ransom”.
Professor Anthony Glees also says the Ever Given and the 321 ships backed up behind it in the Red Sea are now “sitting targets for rocket attacks from Islamists and anti-Egyptian activists”.
ERRORS
The ship owners have blamed high winds during a sandstorm for the crash, but Mr Rable said yesterday “technical or human errors” may have contributed.
The canal authority was unable to set out a timetable for freeing the vessel, he added.
As some freight was diverted around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding 3,500 miles and around 12 days to voyages, shipping expert Lars Jensen said there was “no hiding from the ripple effect” of the crisis, with worldwide losses mounting at £6billion a day.
Livestock, furniture, clothing, manufacturing and car parts and construction materials are among cargoes on queuing vessels.
Mr Jensen, head of SeaIntelligence Consulting, told us: “Even if the canal was to open tomorrow it would cause months of shipping delays.
“When that happens it will be like ketchup out of a bottle.
“Normally Europe gets around 50,000 containers a day. Suddenly there will be a huge chunk.
“Ports won’t be able to handle this. The longer it takes to clear the blockage, the worse this gets.” Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortum said food imports were unlikely to be affected but many other supplies from the Far East would be disrupted.
Tony Pelli of the British Standards Institution warned: “Industries with heavier reliance on just-in-time supply chain models, such as the automotive industry, may see greater impacts.” He added that oil prices may increase too.
But it will take a couple of weeks for Britain to feel the economic effects, he said.
Even if it reopens tomorrow delays will last months LARS JENSEN WORLD SHIPPING SPECIALIST