She moved! Hope as stricken Suez ship shifts for first time
THE giant cargo carrier wedged across the Suez Canal yesterday shifted briefly for the first time in five days, giving hope to rescuers making frantic attempts to refloat the stricken ship.
Osama Rabie, the canal authority’s chairman, confirmed efforts to dislodge the Ever Given from the vital trade route had allowed its stern and rudder to move, but he said he could not predict when the 224,000ton vessel would be freed.
The bow of the carrier – which is as long as the Empire State building – is still stuck fast in the bank of the canal, causing a logjam that is delaying £7billion of goods.
He also admitted that ‘a technical problem or a human error’ could have caused the problem, rather than the high winds originally blamed.
At least 321 vessels are caught in the resulting tailback and retailers, including IKEA, have warned that supply chains will be disrupted if the ship is not freed soon.
Charities have also raised concerns for livestock – including cattle and sheep – on 20 vessels stranded by the bottleneck. Officials said yesterday they have sent vets and food for the animals.
Gerit Weidinger, from the charity Animals International, said the disaster was ‘basically a ticking biohazard timebomb for animals and the crew and any person involved’.
Egyptian officials battling to free the Ever Given said they were hopeful that their original plan of using diggers and tugs to excavate the ship might work after the stern began to move slightly.
Diggers working by the bow of the ship need to excavate between 38ft and 52ft to free the bottom of the hull. An alternative plan would require other ships with cranes to pull alongside and remove containers in a precarious manoeuvre. At a press conference, Mr Rabie said: ‘I hope it doesn’t come to that.’
Officials fear that removing the containers incorrectly could unbalance the ship and cause it to capsize. Instead, 14 tugs are being used to push and pull the giant cargo carrier to ease it free. It is hoped that a high tide will help.
Mr Rabie said that strong winds and sandstorms were not the main cause of the ship running aground last Tuesday, adding: ‘There were other reasons which are subject to investigation, which we will talk about in the next few days. It could be a technical problem or a human error.’
He pointed out that the vessel directly in front of the Ever Given on Tuesday was bigger and had managed to travel through the canal in the same conditions, adding: ‘The Suez Canal is quite capable of accommodating even bigger vessels than this one.’ The Dutch salvage firm working to free the Ever Given was hopeful it could be moved soon. Peter Berdowski, chief executive of Boskalis, said: ‘We aim to get it done after the weekend, but everything will have to work out exactly right for that.
He said a combination of heavy tugboats, dredging of sand at the bow and a high tide could do the trick.