THE SUEZ canal remains closed due to the grounding of a 400m-long (1,300ft) Evergreen-operated 20,000 teu containership on Tuesday, blocking traffic on one of the most important waterways in the world. 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, and that remains at a halt.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence AIS tracking confirms that the container, the Evergreen Marine Ever Given has not moved since it stopped in the Suez Canal at 0540 hrs GMT on Tuesday. The backup consists of over 150 other ships.
“In co-operation with local authorities and Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, a vessel management company, we are trying to refloat [the Ever Given], but we are facing extreme difficulty,” the owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, said in a statement on Thursday.
“We sincerely apologise for causing a great deal of worry to ships in the Suez Canal and those planning to go through the canal,” it added.
Multiple attempts to release the vessel using tugs have so far failed, and sources to Reuters report that the owners of Ever Given are potentially facing insurance claims of millions of dollars for the delays and extra costs accrued by other companies.
It is still unclear what caused the grounding, with initial reports suggesting that Ever Given had experienced engine trouble, but a spokesman for the vessel’s technical managers believes an investigation to have ruled out mechanical or technical failure.