Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, head of the Egyptian Suez Canal Authority, announced that the authorities are considering granting compensation to ships that have stopped in the canal’s waiting areas until the giant container ship Ever Given floated.
The rescue units are continuing their efforts to float the ship, which ran aground at as it crossed the canal from the south, Rabie said.
He added, “The Canal Authority has the experience and capabilities that qualify it to float the ship successfully, especially as it is not the first accident to occur in the canal. The Authority has previously encountered such incidents and addressed them successfully, Rabie mentioned.
Ships stalled in the waiting areas will be stopped until navigation has fully resumed, and navigation traffic will work throughout the day to compensate for the delay, according to Rabie.
Boats “The Tenth of Ramadan”, “Long Live Egypt 1”, and “Long Live Egypt 2” have joined efforts to pull the sand around the grounded ship, along with eight other tug boats that have been working since the ship grounded.
Navigation in the Suez Canal was suspended Tuesday evening after the ship became stuck, and video clips of the blockage have spread throughout the internet over the past few hours. The ship is 400 meters long and 59 meters wide.
The vessel Ever Given, registered in Panama, was on on a voyage from China to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. As it was passing through the canal on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, it ran aground and became trapped between the canal sides.
Authorities blame strong winds that reached up to 40 knots for the accident. The winds are also the culprit behind massive sandstorms across Egypt.
The canal is one of the most important trade passages in the world, and any prolonged blockage could result in massive consequences for the global supply chain.
IMAGE: In this photo released by the Suez Canal Authority, a cargo ship, named the Ever Given, sits with its bow stuck into the wall Wednesday, March 24, 2021, after it become wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal and blocked all traffic in the vital waterway. An Egyptian official warned Wednesday it could take at least two days to clear the ship. (Suez Canal Authority via AP)
