Suez Canal Grounded Ship Water Drainage Operation in Full Swing

About 20,000㎥ of sand and soil dredged from the embankment... 9,000t of ship ballast water also removed
Suez Canal Authority Chief mentions possibility of human or mechanical cause, not wind

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] Efforts to refloat the grounded container ship continue as the Suez Canal remains blocked for the fifth day due to the container ship's grounding.

Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) in Egypt, held a press conference in Suez city on the 27th (local time) and announced that operations are underway to refloat the grounded container ship Ever Given.

Until the previous day, the SCA used dredgers to remove about 20,000 cubic meters of sand and soil from the canal embankment where the bow was stuck, and explained that a total of 14 tugboats are being deployed for the operation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

To reduce the weight of the ship, which has a total tonnage of 224,000 tons, about 9,000 tons of ballast water was also removed.

Chairman Rabie said, "Fortunately, the rudder and propeller of the ship, which had been unresponsive since the accident, are now working again, but it is impossible to predict when the ship can be refloated," adding, "If the current operation fails, we will have to reduce the ship's weight further, but I hope such a situation does not occur."

Rabie also assessed the cause of the container ship's grounding, stating, "Strong winds are not the main cause, and it is possible that mechanical failure or human error contributed to the accident."

Regarding responsibility for the enormous losses caused by the ship blocking the canal, he said, "Penalties and other measures will be discussed after the investigation is completed."

Meanwhile, the Ever Given, which departed from China and was heading to Rotterdam, Netherlands, ran aground in the middle of the Suez Canal on the morning of the 23rd. This accident has caused massive damage as the passage through the Suez Canal, a key route for global trade, has been blocked. It is reported that a total of 321 ships have been stranded, unable to use the Suez Canal due to this incident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.