The Mammoth Ship “EverGiven” Which Got Stuck In The Suez Canal

On the 23rd of March 2021 on the northern side of Egypt, the weather forecast predicted a gust of wind of more than 40 miles per hour which is a common phenomenon in the Sinai desert at this time of the year. This desert wind blew the EverGiven, which is one of the worlds biggest containers off course holding worth $10 billion of global trade. This container has blocked the Suez Canal and has been in the news ever since.

Talking about one of the most precarious waterways in existence, Suez Canal makes it to the top without any doubt. When the gust of wind picked its pace up, the ships had begun their daily convoying journey. Here’s where EverGiven joined the sail. The mammoth ship carrying everything from frozen fish to furniture and everything in between getting stuck in the canal.

The container recumbent more than 120 kilometres and its grounding has taken a huge toll not only on the pathway but the economy as a whole as well. After dozens of interviews and scholastic research, EverGiven started heading through the canal when another ship decided to stop because of the heavy winds. Two people who were aware of this situation stated that the ship had not employed tug boats as well while on the contrary, two other boats immediately did.

The second issue in question was the speed of the ship sailing. According to reports, when the ship began moving towards the sand, this is when it started speeding up. However, the timing doesn’t match and it was too late before the ship collided with the bank. Due to this impact, the ship’s steel hull wedged more deeply on the side of the river bank. Right after this incident, the wind compounded and the ship did not find an opportunity to redeem itself.

According to the authorities, the lack of visibility in adverse weather conditions has led to the ship losing control over its manoeuvring and bumping into the canal’s side. The manager of the ship says that the initial investigation pointed towards the accident taking place due to winds. Now, an in-depth interview is going on to note what happened to cause this accident.

As of now the canal remains blocked and looks like it will take some time to get it back to its track. As per the recent news, two tugboats have been headed to the Suez Canal so that the ship is moved. They intend to help free the ship and move back to its original path. Reports suggest that the tug boards will nudge the ship as the dredgers will continue to vacuum up the sand stuck under the vessel.

Sunday, March 28 2021 was very critical as this would have decided the fate of the ship and what next moves it requires to get it back on track. According to sources, some have contemplated partial removal of the containers of the ship. This will add to the number of days it will take to reroute the ship.

However, the good news is, no crewperson has been injured and nor has there been any sign of pollution that has taken place. As reported by Bernhard Schulte Ship management, the statement has been confirmed and well accounted for.

As of now, the current redirected ships have tolled up to 14 and continue to rise as the delay prolonged itself. The estimated loss turns out to be covering almost 12% of the total global trade. Due to the fear that the ship might take weeks to move, there has been a 3% surge in the prices of oil.

The Suez Canal Block has caused almost a loss of 64000 crore rupees in the past weeks which is almost 9142 crores a day According to one of the studies by Europe’s biggest insurer, the stuck ship shaves off 0.4 per cent of the annual trade growth of the economy.

However, it’s time for some good news now. After a long and arduous struggle for almost a week, the Ever Given has finally been moved. Finally, the soil around it has been dug out successfully and moved out for clearance. With a sigh of relief for many, the ship is now sailing to its destination.