On the 23rd March 2021, the Ever Given was travelling through the Suez Canal when it was caught in a sandstorm. The strong wind, which reached 74 km/h (40 knots), resulted in the “loss of the ability to steer the ship”, causing the hull to deviate The Ever Given then ran aground, and turned sideways unable to free itself, blocking the Suez canal on both sides. The vessel was 5th inline as part of a 15 strong convoy and the Ever Given was travelling from Tanjung Pelepas Malaysia to Rotterdam, NL.
As you will have no doubt seen on various news outlets the above vessel remains stranded & now into its 3rd day blocking the canal entirely.
There are 8 tugs and a new dredger on site trying to move the vessel off the sandbanks. The specialised suction dredger can clear 2000 cubic metres of material per hour but the Suez authorities estimate up to 10 x that amount may be needed. The salvage team are hoping a high tide on Saturday will help the process to refloat the vessel. Further measures will also be considered even discharging containers from the vessel.
Currently, there are over 200 vessels that are moored at the northern and southern end of the canal entrances waiting to transit through. This will inevitably lead to delays in vessel schedules. We understand that some carriers are considering re-routing around the coast of Africa. Fyi: this adds 4900 nautical miles and approx 10 days additional sailing time to the voyage.
We are monitoring the situation on a regular basis and as soon as we have any further information on affected services we will update you.
For further information please contact your account manager on +44 113 271 1555 or info@carrycargo.com who will be more than happy to assist.
