The monumental container ship Ever Given, operated by the Evergreen shipping company, ran aground on Wednesday, March 24, in the Suez Canal, in Egypt, due to strong winds of 40 knots and the consequent sandstorm. The freighter tilted due to the force of the wind and the sand clogged the ship, blocking the 400-meter-long and 59-meter-wide channel from one end to the other.
Maritime traffic stopped at Suez, a canal through which 10% of international trade by sea circulates. The first thing that happened was that Brent crude oil rose 6% and a barrel was placed above $64 dollars. The coordination office of the Gulf Agency Company in the channel, explained that that day, of the 30 ships that planned to cross, half remained detained. Just two days later, more than 100 freighters are waiting their turn to pass through. It is worth mentioning that Top Carriers transported containers on five different ships on the same route and date, fortunately, they managed to pass before the grounding occurred.
The situation is pressing. The Egyptian authorities deployed a rescue plan that includes three stages:
- With the support of 9 tugboats, they try to free the ship.
- An excavator is removing the sand to dredge the canal.
- With a crane, lighten the load of the ship and empty the fuel to make it float again
Seven days later and almost 400 ships stuck between Europe and Asia, the plan of the Suez Canal authorities and a Dutch team from the Smit Salvage company worked. The container ship Ever Given was refloated although it is estimated that it will take three more days to completely free the channel. However, global traffic could take weeks or months to restore.
When an event of this nature occurs, the breakdown and salvage expenses are divided among the shippers that carry cargo on board.