The stranded container vessel blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week, was freed after a successful rescue operation. Here's a timeline of how the 2,00,000 tonne vessel blocked the world's most important trade routes and how it was set free
A man waves at the Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' container ship as it is tugged in Egypt's Suez Canal after it was fully dislodged from the banks, near Suez city. All pics/AFP
A week after ‘Ever Given’ brought global trade to a standstill, the giant container ship was finally dislodged from the banks of Suez Canal on Monday and set afloat. The vessel’s release brought relief to the shipping industry as a whole. From being stuck to set adrift, here’s how the events unfolded:
March 23: Getting ‘diagonally’ stuck in Suez Canal
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A satellite image shows the 'Ever Given' being wedged diagonally across the span of the canal
On Tuesday, March 23, the Ever Given, a 2,00,000-tonne Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground in the southern mouth of the Suez Canal.
Suez is a narrow man-made canal which divides continental Africa from Sinai Peninsula.
Due to the ship running aground, it blocked other vessels in transit. The ship’s bow was touching the canal's eastern wall, while its stern looked lodged against its western wall, according to satellite data from MarineTraffic, which provides real-time information on the movement of ships.
March 24: A traffic jam of ships
An aerial view taken on March 27, 2021 from the porthole of a commercial plane shows stranded ships waiting in queue in the Gulf of Suez to cross the Suez Canal
On Wednesday, cargo ships and oil tankers started lining up at the southern end of the canal, waiting to be able to pass to the Mediterranean Sea.
Around 100 vessels, seeking transit between Red Sea and the Mediterranean had piled up, reported Bloomberg. Taiwan-based Evergreen Line, the time charterer of the vessel, said in an emailed response to the news agency's questions that the ship “was grounded accidentally after deviating from its course due to suspected sudden strong wind”.
As many as 10 tug boats struggled to free the ship but the Canal still remained blocked.
March 25: Egypt suspends all traffic in the Canal
Japanese ship-leasing firm Shoei Kisen Kaisha, which owns the ship, said that it was facing "extreme difficulty" trying to set it afloat. In a statement on its website, the firm apologised "for causing a great deal of worry to ships in the Suez Canal and those planning to go through the canal."
Egypt then suspended all traffic through the Canal. At least 150 other vessels needing to pass through the waterway idled, waiting for the obstruction to clear, authorities said.
Dredgers tried to clear silt around the massive ship. Tug boats nudged the vessel alongside it, trying to gain momentum. Finally, container carriers and vessels started taking the costly and time-consuming voyage around Africa instead.
March 26: The jam grows; White House raises alarm
The US government offered Egypt assistance in removing the grounded ship, after sensing potential impacts on energy markets. Almost 300 vessels were reported to have queued up, compared to 238 on Thursday.
Several ships in the Indian Ocean, initially bound for the Suez Canal, took a detour. The ship's Japanese owner said that it aimed to refloat the ship on Saturday night Tokyo time.
March 27: Tidal movement to free ship?
A handout picture released by the Suez Canal Authority shows tugboats pulling the Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given'
With previous attempts failing to produce results, a plan is made to free the vessel by taking advantage of tidal movements late on Saturday. At a news conference, Shoei Kisen President Yukito Higaki said 10 tugboats were deployed and workers were dredging the banks and seafloor near the vessel’s bow to try to get it afloat as the high tide starts to go out.
There were also plans to pump water from the interior spaces of the vessel, still the ship remained wedged in the canal on Saturday as well. Now, 320 vessels lay, waiting to be passed through.
March 28: More tugboats deployed; excavators dig into the canal's eastern wall
Excavators trying to free the ship
Two additional tugboats — the Dutch-flagged Alp Guard and the Italian-flagged Carlo Magno — sped to the Suez Canal to aid the salvage efforts. Excavators dug the eastern wall of the canal, hoping to free the bow of the ship that had ploughed into the embankment. Workers planned to make two attempts to free the vessel coinciding with high tides helped by a full moon on Sunday night.
March 29: Finally afloat, after moving over 30,000 cubic meters of sand
A picture released by Egypt's Suez Canal Authority on March 29, 2021, shows a man waving the Egyptian flag after Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' container ship was fully dislodged from the banks of the Suez.
The Ever Given managed to pull free from the bank of the Suez Canal, allowing for the long tailback of ships to pass through one of the world’s most important trade routes. The container ship’s manager confirmed that the ship has been set afloat at 3 pm local time on Monday and was heading to the Great Bitter Lake where it would undergo a full inspection.
Salvage teams pulled the ship free from the sandy bank with tugs. Horns sounded in celebration as it made her way up the canal after an operation that involved moving 30,000 cubic meters of sand.
(with inputs from agencies)
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