Ever Given container ship blocking Suez Canal starts to move
The Ever Given, the massive container ship which has been blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week, has started to move on Monday, according to maritime traffic tracking sites Vesselfinder and myshiptracking.
The stern of the boat has moved away from the canal’s western bank, according to both sites.
This was confirmed by an AFP source at the canal.
‘Human error’
The 200,000-tonne MV Ever Given veered off course in the Suez Canal on Tuesday, with officials blaming 40-knot gusts and a sandstorm.
But Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chief Osama Rabie on Saturday said “technical or human errors” could have led to the grounding of the Taiwan-run, Panama-flagged container ship near the southern end of the 193-kilometre (120-mile) long canal.
German insurer Allianz warned the blockage was “the straw that breaks global trade’s back”.
“Suppliers’ delivery times have lengthened since the start of the year and are now longer in Europe than during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic,” it said.
Some 369 ships are currently stalled as they wait for the canal to reopen, Rabie told the Al-Arabiya news channel Sunday.
Egypt is losing some $12-14 million in revenue from the canal for each day it is closed, Rabie added, while Lloyd’s List has said the blockage is holding up an estimated $9.6 billion-worth of cargo each day between Asia and Europe.
Russia offered assistance Sunday, following other countries including the United States that have made similar offers.
In a sign of the knock-on effects, authorities in war-wracked Syria said the crisis had hit its fuel imports from Iran and forced it to ration already scarce supplies.
Romania’s animal health agency said 11 ships carrying livestock out of the country were also impacted, with NGO Animals International warning of a potential “tragedy” affecting some 130,000 animals.
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