Ever Given Container Ship Finally Freed In The Suez Canal (News Roundup)

Back on course: The Ever Given was floating in the Suez Canal again and being towed by a fleet of tugboats on Monday as the shipping saga which has brought billions of dollars' worth in trade to a standstill neared its end 

Daily Mail: Suez Canal mega-ship is on the move! Ever Given is pulled along by tug boats after it was successfully refloated, allowing goods to be transported again after six-day jam caused delays worth billions of dollars 

 * Bow of the 220,000-ton Ever Given was finally dislodged from the sandy bank of the Suez Canal on Monday 

 * Fleet of tugboats used high tide to pull on the ship while rescue teams vacuumed sand from the canal bank 

 * It remained unclear how long it would take to fully re-open the canal with £6.5bn of trade held up every day 

 * Japanese-owned vessel got wedged in crucial trading passage last Tuesday, disrupting global shipping 

The Suez Canal saga was nearing its end today after the container ship blocking the channel was set free and towed up the waterway by a fleet of tugboats, nearly a week after causing a traffic jam that strangled global trade. 

The bow of the 220,000-ton Ever Given was finally dislodged from the canal bank on Monday after tugboats had straightened the vessel in an early-morning operation and dredgers had vacuumed away huge chunks of sand. 

The salvage team made a major breakthrough by dislodging the ship's stern and straightening its position, taking advantage of a high tide brought on by a 'supermoon'. 

Read more .... 

 More News On The Ever Given Container Ship Being Finally Freed In The Suez Canal 

Giant container ship that blocked Suez Canal finally free -- AP 

Traffic in Suez Canal resumes after stranded ship refloated -- Reuters 

Suez Canal traffic resumes after stranded container ship freed -- France 24 

Suez Canal: Ever Given container ship finally freed -- BBC 

Ever Given ship freed in the Suez Canal, authority confirms -- CNN 

Ever Given ship freed in Suez Canal -- DW 

Suez canal: Ever Given container ship freed after a week -- The Guardian 

Suez Canal traffic resumes as cargo ship fully floated -- ABC News (Australia) 

Stranded Ever Given container ship refloated, Suez Canal traffic resumes – authority chairman -- RT 

Traffic in Suez Canal resumes after stranded ship refloated -- Al Jazeera 

Suez Canal: How did they move the Ever Given? -- BBC The cost of the Suez Canal blockage -- BBC

BREAKING NEWS: Stranded Suez Canal Ship Has Been Re-Floated

Daily Mail 

WNU Editor: From Reuters .... Stranded Suez Canal ship re-floated: Inch Cape (Reuters). The tweet from the salvage company is below. This story will be updated later today.

The MV Ever Given was successfully re-floated at 04:30 lt 29/03/2021. She is being secured at the moment. More information about next steps will follow once they are known. #suezcanel #maritime pic.twitter.com/f3iuYYiRRi

— Inchcape Shipping (@Inchcape_SS) March 29, 2021

Egypt's President Orders Preparations Be Made To Unload Ever Given's Cargo If Refloating Efforts Continue To Fail

 

  

Business Insider: Egypt's president orders preparations be made to unload Ever Given's cargo if refloating fails, a high risk strategy adding days of delay 

 * Egypt's President has ordered preparations be made to unload the cargo of the Ever Given ship. 

 * He outlined the plans to the Suez Canal Authority on Sunday morning, local media reported. 

 * Unloading the cargo risks unbalancing and damaging the ship, an expert warned. 

Egypt's president has ordered preparations be made to unload the cargo of the Ever Given ship if refloating fails, according to local media reports. 

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi outlined the plan to the Suez Canal Authority on Sunday morning, Daily News Egypt reported. 

Efforts are currently underway to refloat the ship. The floatation efforts included towing and pushing the grounding vessel using 8 large tugboats, the Suez Canal Authority said. 

Read more .... 

 More News On The Blockage Of The Suez Canal 

Egypt’s president orders preparations for unloading the Ever Given blocking the Suez Canal -- Washington Post 

Suez Canal: Effort to refloat wedged container ship continues -- BBC 

Hope for freeing Ever Given? Rescue teams manage to shift the 220,000-ton container ship by nearly 100 FEET as 12 tugs join bid to save it SIX days after it got stuck in Suez Canal where experts claim it's 'holding up more than £30billion in trade' -- Daily Mail 

2 tugboats speed to Egypt’s Suez Canal as shippers avoid it -- AP 

Tugs, dredgers still struggle to free ship blocking Suez Canal -- Reuters 

Tugboats sent speeding to Suez Canal to aid attempts to free megaship -- France 24 

Stranding of Ever Given in Suez canal was foreseen by many -- The Guardian

Egyptian President "Prepare For All Scenarios" To Refloat Megaship -- Zero Hedge

Suez Canal Blockage -- News Updates March 27, 2021

 

Daily Mail: It moves! 220,000-ton Ever Given budges for the first time since getting stuck in Suez Canal... as officials admit 'human error' may have caused crash after first blaming 'wind' 

 * Two attempts to dislodge the container ship - and reopen the critical global trade route - will be made today 

 * The Panama-flagged vessel, which is as long as the Empire State building, has been stuck since Tuesday 

 * Osama Rabie, Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief, today said that 'technical or human errors led to the crash' 

The Ever Given cargo carrier which ran aground on the banks of the Suez Canal has moved for the first time in five days - as authorities today admitted 'human error' may be to blame for the blockage. 

Osama Rabie, Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief, confirmed efforts to dislodge the container ship from the critical trade route had allowed for its stern and rudder to move, adding he could not predict when it would be refloated. 

He said he remained hopeful that a dredging operation could free the Ever Given without having to resort to removing its cargo to lighten it. Mr Rabie added strong tides and winds were complicating efforts to free it. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: The oil tankers are now starting to avoid the Suez Canal .... Cheniere and Shell oil tankers change course to avoid Suez Canal as ships divert routes (CNBC). There is now a very real possibility that the Suez Canal may be closed for a few weeks. The first video above is a must see.

 Suez Canal Blockage -- News Updates March 27, 2021

No timeline given for extracting wedged ship from Suez Canal -- AP 

Ship blocking Suez Canal moves slightly, unclear when it will refloat -- Reuters 

Megaship blocking Suez Canal moves slightly, still unclear when it will refloat -- France 24 

Suez Canal: Fresh effort to refloat wedged container ship -- BBC 

Salvager raises hopes of clearing Suez canal by early next week -- The Guardian 

‘A Very Big Problem.’ Giant Ship in the Suez Remains Stuck. -- New York Times 

Ever Given ship stuck in Suez Canal has moved, but it's still unclear when it will be freed -- ABC News (Australia) 

Tugs, tides and 200,000 tons: experts fear Ever Given may be stuck in Suez for weeks -- The Guardian 

No timeline given for freeing huge ship blocking Suez Canal -- The Al Jazeera 

Suez Canal: Ship blockage may be due to 'human errors' -- DW 

Salvage firm boss reveals his masterplan to clear the huge tanker blocking the Suez Canal using two large tugboats to tow the ship to safety -- Daily Mail 

Race against time to save thousands of animals trapped in cargo ship currently blocking the Suez canal -- Daily Mail

Suez Canal Blockage -- News Updates March 26, 2021

It is hoped that an especially high tide late Saturday will provide the best chance yet of refloating the vessel - with another two weeks until a similar tide returns 

Daily Mail: Satellite image reveals true extent of the traffic jam caused by mega-ship lodged in the Suez Canal - as shipping firms call on US Navy for help amid fears cargo vessels are sitting ducks for PIRATES 

 * Container ship Ever Given remains lodged in the Suez Canal, causing a traffic jam spanning two continents 

 * Satellite image reveals extent of the jam in the Red Sea, with 50 boats seen at anchor in the Gulf of Suez

 * Some 250 vessels are now caught in the backlog, as workers desperately try to dig the Ever Given free 

 * The only alternative is to sail around Africa, but shipping firms have warned that could make cargo vessels sitting ducks for pirates and have been asking the US Navy to advise on the security situation 

A satellite image taken above the Red Sea have revealed the true extent of the traffic jam building up behind the cargo ship that has lodged itself in the Suez Canal. 

Some 250 vessels are now backed up at either end of the narrow waterway, waiting for the stricken Ever Given - a container ship as long as the Empire State Building is tall - to be moved so they can pass.

Images taken by a passing satellite show more than 50 vessels at anchor in the Gulf of Suez, one of two 'fingers' at the northern end of the Red Sea, where it enters the canal which leads to the Mediterranean. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Here is a good summary on what to expect next .... Suez Canal Megaship "Partially Refloated" Ahead Of US Navy Assessment (Zero Hedge). 

 Suez Canal Blockage -- News Updates March 26, 2021 

Plan made to refloat ship blocking Suez Canal using tide -- AP 

Suez ship rescuers weigh time and tide with risk of tip or tear -- Reuters 

Attempt to refloat megaship blocking Egypt's Suez Canal fails -- France 24 

Maritime traffic jam grows outside blocked Suez Canal -- FOX News 

Suez Canal: Ships stuck in 'traffic jam' as salvage efforts continue -- BBC 

Navy sending team to Suez Canal to help dig out massive ship blocking passage -- FOX News 

Suez Canal: $10 billion in goods stuck in waterway -- DW 

Suez Canal authorities need to remove up to 706,000 cubic feet of sand to free the Ever Given -- CNN 

Suez blockage: The suspension of traffic through the vital waterway is set to disrupt world trade, which has already been plagued by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. -- Reuters

This Is What Is Necessary To Dislodge A 200,000-Ton Ship From A Canal Wall

How to Dislodge a 200,000-Ton Ship From a Canal Wall 

Bloomberg: How to Dislodge a 200,000-Ton Ship From a Canal Wall 

(Bloomberg) -- When you can’t shift a ship that’s stuck fast into the wall of a canal that’s vital to world trade, there’s only one thing to do: call the salvage guys. 

The Ever Given container ship -- a 200,000-ton behemoth -- has been blocking what is arguably the world’s most important waterway, the Suez Canal, since Tuesday morning. 

The struggle to dislodge it is now turning the world’s attention to the work of SMIT Salvage, a legendary Dutch firm whose employees parachute themselves from one ship wreckage to the next, saving vessels often during violent storms. 

The company is synonymous with some of the most daring naval salvages, including lifting a sunken Russian nuclear submarine in 2001, and removing fuel from inside the Costa Concordia cruise ship after it ran aground in Italy in 2012.

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: I see a lot of diggers and tugboats in the coming days.

Salvage Experts Say It Could Take Weeks To Move The Cargo Ship Blocking The Suez Canal

 

Daily Mail: Grounded Suez Canal mega-ship is blocking shipments worth $9.5BILLION per day with 'enormous' consequences for global economy as rescue chief warns it could be stuck for WEEKS 

 * Cargo ship Ever Given, one of the world's largest, remains wedged in the Suez Canal as rescue efforts resume 

 * Dutch expert brought in to help has warned operation could take 'weeks' and might involve taking cargo off 

 * Goods worth an estimated $29billion are currently stuck in the logjam, with another $9.5bn added each day 

 * Knock-on effect already being felt, as oil prices jumped 6 per cent on Wednesday as news of blockage spread

The giant cargo ship wedged across the Suez Canal is blocking shipments worth an estimated $9.5billion per day including food and oil which will have an 'enormous' impact on the world economy, experts have warned. 

At least 150 ships are now stuck in the logjam caused by 200,000-ton cargo ship Ever Given which ran aground in the narrow channel on Tuesday, with goods worth $29billion already held up. 

The effect has been felt on world markets already as the price of crude oil shot up 6 per cent on Wednesday, reversing months of often-record falls caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: I would say hundreds of millions in claims (and maybe more) .... Stranded Suez ship's owner, insurers face millions in claims (Reuters). 

 More News On Reports That It Could Take Weeks To Move The Cargo Ship Blocking The Suez Canal 

Cargo ship blocking Suez Canal could take weeks to move -- CNBC 

Cargo ship still stuck across Suez Canal, and it may be going nowhere for "weeks" -- CBS 

Suez Canal clearance could take ‘weeks’, says salvage company -- Financial Times 

It could take weeks to reopen the Suez Canal, salvage experts say -- OilPrice.com

A 'Mega Container Ship' Has Run Aground, Blocking Egypt's Suez Canal In Both Directions

The Ever Given (owned by the company Evergreen) is jammed in the Suez Canal. (Instagram) 

9News: Jammed container ship causes enormously costly traffic jam in Suez Canal 

A massive container vessel has become wedged in the Suez canal, blocking traffic on one of the world's most important waterways. 

The Ever Given, a 400-metre long cargo ship en route from China to Rotterdam, has become stuck one of the narrowest parts of the canal. Tugboats are desperately trying to shift the massive vessel as a massive backlog of ships accumulates at the mouth of the Red Sea, and the Great Bitter Lake. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: The container ship Ever Given is a nearly 200-foot-wide, 1,300-foot-long, 400,000 ton cargo ship sailing under a Panamanian flag.

   More News On A Massive Container Ship Blocking The Suez Canal 

Egypt's Suez Canal blocked by large container ship -- BBC 

Massive container ship blocks Suez Canal -- AFP 

Suez Canal blocked by huge container ship -- The Guardian 

A huge container ship has accidentally blocked the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes -- Business Insider 

Grounded container ship blocks traffic on Suez Canal -- UPI 

Photo: Huge Container Ship Gets Stuck Sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal, Blocking All Sea Traffic -- Sputnik

Time-Lapse Video Of The Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Passing Through The Suez Canal

Hat Tip: Naval Open Source INTelligence

What If The Suez Canal Is Closed By Terrorists?

The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) moves through the Suez Canal for the last time in this October 12, 2012 photograph released on October 15, 2012. Enterprise was deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom. The U.S. Navy is reliable, flexible, and ready to respond worldwide on, above, and below the sea. REUTERS/Stephen Wolff/U.S. Navy photo/Handout

What If Insurgents Close The Suez Canal? -- L.A. Times

Islamist violence has chased off tourists. Now it threatens that key waterway — and the nation's entire economy.

Most of the attention these days is on Syria, but there is also a growing problem in Egypt with global implications. Nine Egyptian policemen were wounded by a bomb in the northern Sinai Peninsula on Monday. The week before, suicide bombers killed nine soldiers in the peninsula. Shootings, kidnappings and bombings — roadside, car and suicide — have become routine occurrences in Sinai. And the burgeoning Islamist insurgency is spreading to other parts of Egypt. In early September, the interior minister narrowly survived a car-bomb attack in Cairo reportedly perpetrated by a Sinai-based jihadist group.

Already reeling from more than two years of civil insurrection, a spike in crime, an epidemic of sexual assault and the military's killing in August of nearly 1,000 Islamists protesting the coup that removed the elected Muslim Brotherhood president from office, the insurgency is bad news for Egypt.

But things could get worse.

Read more ....

My Comment: If successful, Egypt's main source of foreign revenue will be cut with long term implications to them, the region, and the global economy.

Video Of Last Week's Terror Attack On A Ship In The Suez Canal Posted On YouTube

Video Shows Two Men Firing RPGs At Ship Transiting Suez Canal -- Reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - A video posted on YouTube and circulated on Thursday shows two men firing rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at a container ship that was attacked on Saturday in the Suez Canal.

Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the video and there were no claims of responsibility for the attack on Islamist websites.

The video carries a logo featuring a black Islamist flag and the name of the "al-Firqan Brigade". It shows two men, dressed in civilian clothes, firing RPGs into the side of the ship, where they explode.

Read more ....

My Comment: Egypt can ill afford any disruption along the Suez Canal .... and the same can be said about world trade.

Terrorist Attack On A Suez Canal Container Ship Is Unsuccessful

Ship Attack Foiled In Suez Canal -- Al Jazeera

Officials say there has been an unsuccessful attack on a Panama-flagged container ship passing through the waterway.

Suez Canal authorities have said that a "terrorist" staged an unsuccessful attack on a container ship passing through the canal in an attempt to disrupt the flow of ships through the waterway.

The Suez Canal is a key global shipping line which is secured by the armed forces.

"One of the terrorist elements has carried out a failed attempt to affect the movement of ships in the Suez Canal by targeting one of the passing ships, Cosco Asia," the head of the Suez Canal Authority Mohab Memish said in a statement on Saturday, referring to the Panama-flagged ship.

Read more ....

More News On Today's Failed Terror Attack On A Container Ship In The Suez Canal

Egypt arrests three who fired machine guns on ship in Suez Canal -- Haaretz
Egypt attack on Suez Canal ship 'foiled' -- BBC
Suez Canal Authority says attack attempted on container ship -- Reuters
Egypt arrests top Sinai militant, Suez Canal reports traffic disruption attempt -- Washington Post/AP
Terror attack on Suez Canal foiled, officials say -- Times of Israel
'Terrorist' attack on Suez Canal ship fails -- Deutsche Welle
Failed 'terrorist' attack on Suez Canal ship -- The Telegraph
Suez Canal on high alert after failed terrorist attack -- Daily News Egypt
Egyptian army to boost Suez security after failed attack -- Al Bawaba News

What If Egypt Did Close The Suez Canal?

SUEZ CANAL (Dec. 1, 2010) The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Suez Canal. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is deployed supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Cdr. William A. Smith IV/Released)

Never Say Never: What if Egypt Did Close The Suez Canal? -- James R. Holmes, The Diplomat

Carrier Harry S. Truman and its escorts made their way through the Suez Canal on Monday, a reminder that 35-45 Atlantic-based U.S. Navy ships traverse this artificial waterway each year. T

The transit came as commentators speculated that the unrest convulsing Egypt might interrupt shipping through the canal. How? The military regime might close it — or threaten to do so — in an effort to wring more aid out of Western countries. Or, supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi might launch some type of assault. Should the Muslim Brotherhood protests metastasize into an insurgency, attacks on infrastructure could become part of its repertoire. How better to discredit the army's capacity to maintain order, elicit a self-defeating overreaction, or both, than by choking off a precious source of revenue?

Read more ....

My Comment: My short answer .... if the Suez Canal is closed it will mean that Egypt is in chaos .... and the world will be suffering for it.

Suez Canal Unaffected By Egypt's Unrest

An aerial port bow view of the aircraft carrier USS AMERICA (CV 66) during its transit through the canal. 5 May 1981. Wikipedia

Suez Canal Traffic Unaffected By Egypt Unrest: Maritime Officials -- Ahram Online

Despite ongoing clashes in Port Said and Suez, traffic through Egypt's strategic Suez Canal has not been impacted, canal officials report.

Maritime traffic through Egypt's Suez Canal has not been disrupted by recent violence in the canal cities of Port Said and Suez. Fears had been raised over the possible halt of canal traffic after a Greek ferry boat came under fire on Saturday near Port Said.

The Egyptian transportation ministry and the president of the Port Said Port Authority had earlier denied reports that a Greek ship had been attacked by a group of armed assailants after the port was stormed by anti-government protestors. The Greek embassy in Cairo, however, appeared to verify the attack in a Sunday press statement.

Read more ....

Update #1: Suez Canal official: Navigation unaffected by violence -- Egypt Independent
Update #2: Egypt: Mamish - Suez Canal Is Totally Secured -- allAfrica.com

My Comment: Since the start of the revolution, the Suez Canal has become the government's lifeline to still have some money to pay the bills. But if the unrest starts to impact and interfere with the traffic on the canal .... expect everything to "go down south" very quickly in Egypt.

Update: How Safe Is the Suez Canal? -- Bloomberg Businessweek

Egypt To Allow Iranian Warships Through The Suez Canal

Suez Canal

Egypt To Let Iran Warships Use Canal On Way To Syria -- Bloomberg

Egypt approved a request from Iran to send two naval ships through the Suez Canal on their way to Syria, a move that has ratcheted up Middle East tensions and driven oil prices higher as Israel calls it a “provocation.”

News of the decision was reported today by Egypt’s state television network and confirmed by an Egyptian military official who declined to be identified in line with policy. Iran’s application to use the waterway specified that the vessels don’t hold any nuclear or chemical materials, and aren’t carrying or delivering weapons, the official said earlier today.

Read more ....

More News On Egypt Allowing Iranian Warships To Cross The Suez Canal

Egypt allows Iran warships to transit Suez: Mena -- AFP
Egypt OKs Iran warships through Suez Canal -- MSNBC
Egypt to let Iranian warships through Suez Canal -- CNN
US monitors possible Iran ship move in Suez Canal -- Reuters
Egypt to allow Iranian vessels through Suez Canal -- Salon
Egypt allows Iran warships to pass through Suez Canal (Roundup)-- M&C

My Comment: This is a test by the Iranians to ascertain the impact of the Egyptian revolution on their relations with that country. Considering how the Egyptians responded in their affirmative to their request to use the Suez Canal for their warships .... I am sure there are now some smiling faces in the Foreign Ministry offices in Tehran.