Ship operator Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), technical manager of the 20,388TEU Ever Given has announced that it is intensifying its attempts to pull the ship from the sandy bottom of the Suez Canal, following its grounding on 23 March.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]Experts from Smit Salvage have arrived and are “attending to the vessel,” said BSM, who added that an attempt to remove the ship at 08:00 hours local time had failed, but that the teams on site will make another attempt later today.
“Dredging operations to assist re-floating the vessel continue. In addition to the dredgers already on site a specialised suction dredger has arrived at the location,” said BSM.
The shipmanager also clarified that the Ever Given was grounded due to strong winds as the vessel, with two canal pilots onboard, transited the canal heading north from Asia to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.
All 25 crew are Indian appointed from BSM’s Indian manning office, and they are all safe and well. Additionally, BSM stated, “initial investigations ruled out any mechanical or engine failure as a cause of the grounding.”
Meanwhile, vessel charterer, Evergreen, also issued a statement highlighting the efforts being made to free the canal.
The company stated it would, “Continue to co-ordinate with the shipowner and Suez Canal Authority to deal with the situation with the utmost urgency, ensuring the resumption of the voyage as soon as possible and to mitigate the effects of the incident.”
The Taiwan operator also pointed out that all expenses incurred, including vessel damage, the costs of recovery and third-party liability as a result of the incident were the responsibility of the owners, Shoei Kisen.
Concerned shippers with cargo on Maersk ships have been given a list of the ships currently unable to continue their voyages.
According to James Hookham, secretary general at the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), they are the only liner operator to have made this information available.
Hookham further added that if the canal is cleared within the next few days the backlog of vessels could take up to a month to clear.
“It will be very similar to last year when all the Chinese factories closed down, just a different, scale,” said Hookham, “Once the canal is cleared all the vessels will have bunched up, and will arrive in Europe at similar times having missed their slots, but the ports will not be able to cope so changes to the rotation and the missing of port calls will happen.”
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