The specialists involved in towing the container ship Ever Given, which has run aground and blocked traffic in the Suez Canal, have a chance to pull the vessel out tonight. It has now been moved a little, aided largely by the tide. This was announced on Saturday, March 27, by TASS, citing a source in the channel’s management.
“The bow of the vessel, stuck in the sand, began to move. Attempts are now being made to take him away from the coast once and for all, ”the agency’s interlocutor noted.
However, according to him, the shift of the container ship is only the very beginning of the process and “does not mean that it is already afloat.”
The source stressed that the tide that has begun increases the chances of an early return of Ever Given to the fairway. The container ship has now started moving north very carefully.
Earlier on the same day, it became known that the container ship stuck in the Suez Canal had been slightly moved for the first time. This was done after more than 20 thousand tons of soil were removed from the emergency site. However, no other details were reported.
The Wall Street Journal newspaper, citing sources, also reported that the ship could be floated as early as Saturday.
Panama-flagged container ship Ever Given ran aground south of the Suez Canal on 23 March, blocking traffic. The Japanese company Shohei Kisen, the ship’s operator, claims that strong winds were the reason.
There are more than 20 thousand heavy containers on board, which were transported from China to the Dutch port of Rotterdam. This is one of the largest vessels in its class: its length reaches 400 m, width – 59 m.
According to the plan of the Dutch specialists from SMIT Salvage, you first need to pump out the water from the vessel to make it lighter, then remove the sand from under it with the help of dredging vessels and equipment, after which powerful tugs can be mobilized to pull the vessel out into the water.
On the eve of the US President Joe Biden said that the American authorities are studying ways to help remove Ever Given from the aground and unblock the movement. According to him, the United States has the capabilities and equipment that most countries do not have.