Ever Given Ship Stuck in the Suez Canal for Sixth Straight Day
Published Date: 3/28/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
A new attempt could be made Sunday -- using a high Spring tide and a full moon -- to float the giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal. High tide is just before midnight local time, which could aid efforts to free the 400-meter Ever Given ship that ran aground on Tuesday. Tugs managed to shift the vessel about 29 meters on Saturday, and dredgers freed its propellers from the canal’s mud. The Suez Canal Authority’s chief declined to set a timetable for refloating the ship and said the task remains “difficult.” The pile-up of ships is another problem for global supply chains already strained by the coronavirus pandemic. Companies including A.P. Moller-Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Co. have redirected vessels around southern Africa. About 12% of global trade transits the canal and around 1 million barrels a day of oil. Tugs are now around the ship but re-floating operations have not started due to strong winds, according to Inchcape Shipping Services, a maritime services provider. About 200,000 animals could be stranded in the ships held up at the canal, according to an estimate from advocacy group Animals International. The group has tallied 18 vessels that departed Romania, Spain and South America and are currently stuck in the queue. Many are likely carrying sheep, said European Union director Gabriel Paun. Vessels can’t easily unload animals in other nearby countries due to health protocols or a lack of trade agreements, he said. “It’s just another incident which shows that no matter which contingency plan you design, tragedies may occur over and over as long as we don’t replace the export of live animals with the export of refrigerated and frozen meat,” Paun said. The ship’s front, or bow, was damaged and water entered two tanks, according to a spokesman for Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the vessel’s manager. High-powered pumps were used to get the water out the compartments and the vessel is stable, said the spokesman. Once the Ever Given’s moved, there will be an assessment to determine whether it’s fit to leave the canal. There’s nothing at the moment to suggest it won’t be able to sail out the waterway, the spokesman said. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake