Rescuing 'giant ship' stuck in Suez Canal

The giant container ship Even Given is still unable to move through the Suez Canal - connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez. Many tugboats and excavators have been deployed to rescue but have not been successful. Most likely, the relevant forces will still have to wait for the tide to rise to rescue the stuck ship.

Authorities are trying to rescue a ship stranded in the Suez Canal.

“Ships are continuing to dredge sand and mud to successfully salvage the Even Given,” said Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the technical manager of the Even Given.

Previously, the Ever Given ship, which was en route from China to the Dutch port of Rotterdam, got stuck in the Suez Canal on the evening of March 23. Some sources said the Ever Given ship may have lost power or due to strong winds, drifting across the canal, blocking it.

Images show a giant ship blocking the Suez Canal, causing traffic jams on the vital trade route.

The Ever Given ran aground due to strong winds while passing through the Suez Canal, Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine said in a statement. The company added that none of the containers on board the Evergreen Marine sank.

There are no reports of injuries among the 25 crew members or damage to the cargo on board, technical department chief Bernhard Schulte added. Initial investigations have ruled out mechanical or engine failure as the cause of the grounding.

The Ever Given ship weighs 220,000 tons, is 400m long, and is capable of carrying 20,000 containers. It belongs to a new type of maritime ship, known as a super large container ship.

Satellite images show hundreds of ships are stuck on both sides of the Suez Canal due to the incident of the Even Given container ship.

The giant ship running aground in the Suez Canal has caused huge damage. The estimated damage from this incident is about 400 million USD per hour.

The ship stranding comes as global supply chains struggle to meet demand. The most acute shortage is in the chip industry, forcing many automakers to temporarily halt operations.

According to the Suez Canal Authority, nearly 19,000 ships passed through the canal in 2020, an average of 51.5 per day./.