The next 24 hours will be crucial in getting the stranded container ship Ever Given off the Suez Canal. That says Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski News hour. He thinks there is a 50 percent chance that it will work in the next week. Boskalis is involved in the operation through its subsidiary Smit Salvage to release the 400-meter-long Ever Given. The ship has been blocking the important sea route since Tuesday morning.
“Tonight around nine o’clock the first big sea tug will arrive”, says Berdowski. “With that we can make a first attempt around 4 in the morning. Then there will also be high water.” Preparations are currently being made for the towing operation. “Special rings and hooks are welded to the deck to which the tugboat can be attached.”
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If the operation with the first sea tug is unsuccessful in the early morning, the second attempt is already planned in the afternoon. “We expect the second sea tug to arrive around 9 am tomorrow. There is heavy weather on the Red Sea, so unfortunately it cannot be faster,” said Berdowski. As soon as the second boat arrives, another attempt can be made with two tugs at the same time.
“Then you are talking about 400 tons of tractive force”, Berdowski explains. “The harbor tugs with which it has been tried so far have about 65 to 80 tons of pulling power, so that is a really big difference. But with those 400 we are also fairly close to the maximum, because you also have to be careful that you does not ‘break’. “
Great time pressure
The Suez Canal is of enormous importance to world trade. 30 percent of all container traffic goes through. About $ 9 billion worth of goods are transported through the canal every day, so much of the business and industry is watching with tension. Berdowski also feels that: “We feel the time pressure, but we keep a cool head.”
Earlier today, it was announced that preparations are being made to remove some of the containers from the ship on the orders of Egyptian President Sisi. “We are indeed looking at a crane and a ship to do that, but we are really trying to avoid it,” says Berdowski. “That would be very time consuming.”
If the two tugs do not succeed in getting the Ever Given off tomorrow, there will be a plan B first. “We also have pipes in Alexandria for a dredging project, which we are trying to bring to the Ever Given. By laying pipes behind the ship, we can ‘rinse’ under the ship and spray away the soil, ”says Berdowski.
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‘Disastrous year for transport’
According to Rogier Spoel of Evofenedex (the trade association for shippers), it could take months to repair the damage that is now being done. “This will drag on for a while, we now know that from the corona crisis,” he says. “When the factories in China were shut down, sailings were canceled and there was a shortage of containers. We still suffer from this now.”
Spoel calls it a “disastrous” year for international transport. “Because of all the problems, the rates are now three to four times higher than normal. With corona first and now this blockage, you can speak of a disaster year.” The exact consequences of the blockage must be examined per sector, according to Spoel. “A ship with parts can stop the production process of an entire factory.”
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