OSAMA Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority said that the rudder and the propeller of the stranded ship have started to work again.
He added that 14 tugs are currently involved in the operation to free the cargo ship.
He also said that a “technical or human error” could have contributed to the ship being stranded.
Yukito Higaki, president of Shoei Kisen, the company that owns the giant container ship, told a news conference in Imabari, Japan on Friday night that 10 tugboats were deployed and workers were dredging the banks and sea floor near the vessels bow to try to get it afloat again.
One salvage expert said freeing the cargo ship could take days in the best-case scenario and warned of possible structural problems on the vessel as it remains wedged.
Others feared it could be weeks to free the merchant vessel which is a big as the Empire State Building and is reportedly causing about £6.5billion worth of goods every day it remains embedded in the canal wall.
Follow our live blog below for all the latest Suez Canal news and updates…
- Alice Fuller
SYRIA 'RATIONS' FUEL AS CANAL JAM PERSISTS
Fuel shipments to Syria have been delayed by the blockage of Egypt's Suez Canal, authorities in Damascus said Saturday, warning they were "rationing" fuel to avoid shortages.
Syria, mired in civil war since 2011 and facing a severe economic crisis, had already announced in mid-March a more than 50 percent hike in the price of petrol amid fuel shortages.
Global supply chains have been crippled since Tuesday when a giant container ship ran aground and became wedged diagonally across the span of the Suez Canal, blocking the crucial waterway in both directions.
The suspension "has impacted oil imports to Syria and slowed arrival of a ship carrying fuel and oil products" from government ally Iran, Syria's oil ministry said Saturday.
Pending a resolution, "the ministry is rationing the distribution of available oil products" to assure the continuity of essential services, such as bakeries and hospitals, the ministry statement said.
- Alice Fuller
RATES DOUBLE
Shipping rates for oil product tankers nearly doubled after the ship became stranded.
And the blockage has scrambled global supply chains, threatening costly delays for companies already dealing with COVID-19 restrictions.
If it drags on, shippers may decide to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding about two weeks to journeys and extra fuel costs.
- Alice Fuller
SEX TOY HOLD UP
A ship stocked with sex toys has been among those blocked from entering the cargo route in Suez Canal, leaving customers frustrated.
The "pleasure boat" carrying around 20 containers full of "dildos, vibrators and male masturbators" is among the 231 ships stuck in a "traffic jam" while attempts to free the passage are ongoing.
Dutch erotic company EDC Retail estimate they have suffered major losses as they are unable to restore stocks.
Bosses are now trying to find a solution while the Ever Given container ship still blocks the main passage and are exploring the alternative of re-routing the ship around Africa – but they said it will take another five to seven days to reach its destination.
Evertine Magerman, the company's CEO told Dutch news outlet RTV Noord: "There are more than twenty containers are full of well-running items, such as vibrators, dildos and male masturbators."
- Alice Fuller
'HUMAN ERROR' TO BLAME
Egypt's Suez Canal chief said today that "technical or human errors" could be behind the grounding of a huge container ship blocking the vital waterway, causing a backlog of over 300 vessels.
Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, told reporters in Suez that the ship could possibly be afloat again by Sunday night.
The crisis has crippled global supply chains, forcing companies to consider the expensive option of re-routing vessels around the southern tip of Africa.
Officials had previously blamed 40-knot gusts and a sandstorm that impeded visibility, but Rabie said Saturday that "strong winds and weather factors were not the main reasons for the ship's grounding — there may have been technical or human errors".
But he sounded an optimistic note when asked when the vessel might be freed, saying "we could finish today or tomorrow, depending on the ship's responsiveness" to tides.
- Alice Fuller
IKEA AMONG COMPANIES HIT BY JAM
The stranded container ship blocking the Suez Canal threatens to make it even more difficult for European and US retailers to keep products in stock during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Suez Canal saga that began on Tuesday and could go on for weeks is just the latest crisis to strike the global supply chain that was upended when coronavirus shutdowns spurred house-bound consumers to upgrade appliances, sofas, televisions and backyards.
IKEA, the world's largest furniture seller, is among the retailers with goods on the stranded vessel.
It has about 110 containers on the ship wedged in the canal and is investigating how many boxes of products are on other vessels waiting to enter the channel.
"Depending on how this work proceeds and how long it takes to finish the operation, it may create constraints on our supply chain," said a spokesman for IKEA brand owner and franchiser Inter IKEA.
- Alice Fuller
SUEZ CANAL BLOCKAGE COULD HIT PS5 STOCK
PS5 stock could be hit by the blockage in the Suez Canal, it has been claimed.
The ship is blocking almost 30 per cent of global container traffic, and it could impact supply of the Sony consoles, as well as the Xbox Series X and S.
Shortages of certain parts were already having a huge impact on stock levels, but this could make things worse, reports Insider.
- Alice Fuller
MARITIME JAM REACHES 320 VESSELS ON BOTH ENDS
Since the blockage began, a maritime traffic jam has grown to more than 320 vessels waiting on both ends of the Suez Canal and in the Great Bitter Lake in the middle of the waterway.
Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, the salvage firm hired to extract the Ever Given, said the company hoped to pull the container ship free within days using a combination of heavy tugboats, dredging and high tides.
He told the Dutch current affairs show Nieuwsuur on Friday night that the front of the ship is stuck in sandy clay, but the rear has not been completely pushed into the clay and that is positive because you can use the rear end to pull it free.
- Alice Fuller
TURKEY APPROVES CANAL TO PREVENT SIMILAR SUEZ CRISIS
Turkey has approved development plans for a huge canal on the edge of Istanbul, Environment Minister Murat Kurum said on Saturday, advancing a project which has attracted criticism over its cost and environmental impact.
"We have approved the Kanal Istanbul Project development plans and put them out for public consultation. We will rapidly take steps to enrich our country and sacred city with Kanal Istanbul," Kurum wrote on Twitter.
The canal will connect the Black Sea north of Istanbul to the Marmara Sea to the south and is estimated to cost 75 billion lira ($9.2 billion).
The government says it will ease shipping traffic on the Bosphorus Strait, one of the world's busiest maritime passages, and prevent accidents similar to that this week on the Suez Canal, where work is continuing to refloat a giant container ship blocking the channel.
But like other major infrastructure projects undertaken during Erdogan's 18-year rule, the canal has drawn criticism from those who say it will wreak environmental havoc and pollute fresh water resources around the city of 15 million people.
- Jon Rogers
EROTIC TOYS SHIPMENT BLOCKED BY SUEZ CRISIS
A huge consignment of erotic toys is caught up in the Suez crisis.
According to Dutch news outlet RTVNoord, a shipment of 20 containers filled with an assortment of sex toys is stuck on one of the many ships that is being held up by the situation in the Suez Canal.
Evertine Magerman, the CEO of Dutch company EDC Retail who make the toys is quoted as saying: “There is now an extra lot on the way to restore stocks. But that is not possible now. ‘It is annoying that such a hitch will continue for a long time before the rhythm in the transport chain is restored."
Read the full story here.
- Jon Rogers
AIRCRAFT COULDN'T LIFT CONTAINERS, SAYS SUEZ CHAIRMAN
The Suez Canal Authority chairman has said aircraft wouldn't be able to lift the containersoff the stranded vessel.
- Jon Rogers
NO PREDICTION WHEN EVER GIVEN WILL BE FREED
The head of the Suez Canal Authority said on Saturday that efforts to dislodge a huge container ship blocking the canal had allowed its stern and rudder to move but he could not predict when it would be refloated.
SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said he hoped it would not be necessary to resort to removing containers from the ship to lighten its load, but that strong tides and winds were complicating efforts to free it.
- Claudia Aoraha
'WE DON'T WANT TO LIGHTEN THE SHIP'S LOAD' SAYS CHAIRMAN
The chairman told news outlets that he hopes they won't have to resort to lightening the cargo ship's load to dislodge it from the Canal.
He also said that a "technical or human error" could have contributed to the ship being stranded.
- Claudia Aoraha
PROPELLER AND RUDDER ARE WORKING AGAIN, SAYS SUEZ CANAL CHAIRMAN
Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority said that the rudder and the propeller of the stranded ship have started to work again.
He added that 14 tugs are currently involved in the operation to free the cargo ship.
There are currently 321 ships waiting to transit the Suez Canal because of the holdup, he said today.
- Claudia Aoraha
SUEZ PRESS CONFERENCE: LIVE NOW
Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, talks during a news conference in Suez, Egypt.
Credit: Reuters - Claudia Aoraha
WIND SPEED WAS NOT MAIN REASON FOR THE SHIP GETTING STUCK
The Suez Canal Authority chairman has said today that wind speed was NOT the main reason for the ship getting stranded.
He also added that 9,000 tonnes of ballast water was removed from the stranded cargo ship.
We'll bring you the latest updates as they come.
- Jon Rogers
ANIMALS TRAPPED ON SHIPS COULD STARVE IF EVER GIVEN NOT FREED, CHARITY WARNS
Animals stuck on ships waiting to go through the Suez Canal could starve if the Ever Given is not freed, a charity has warned.
Gerit Weidinger, EU coordinator for the Animals International charity, told The Guardian: "My greatest fear is that animals run out of food and water and they get stuck on the ships because they cannot be unloaded somewhere else for paperwork reasons."
She added: "Getting stuck on board means there is a risk of starvation, dehydration, injuries, waste buildup so they can’t lie down, and nor can the crew get rid of dead animal bodies in the [Suez Canal]. It’s basically a ticking biohazard timebomb for animals and the crew and any person involved."
Of the delayed ships, 20 are believed to be carrying animals, according to data from the charity and the Marine Traffic website.
- Jon Rogers
ATTEMPTS TO REFLOAT EVER GIVEN UNDERWAY
Attempts to refloat a giant container vessel stranded in the Suez Canal are to resume at around 2.30pm local time (12.30 GMT) to try to take advantage of the high tide, three sources with knowledge of canal operations said on Saturday.
If that attempt is unsuccessful, another effort will be made on Sunday morning, the sources said.
To refloat the ship, it could be necessary to remove further sand from around it, they added.
- Jon Rogers
TWO TUGBOATS ON WAY TO SUEZ
Two large tugboats are on their way to the Suez Canal to help with the freeing of the Ever Given.
Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, the salvage firm hired to extract the Ever Given, said the company hoped to pull the container ship free within days using a combination of heavy tugboats, dredging and high tides.
Berdowski said two large tugboats were on their way to the canal and are expected to arrive over the weekend.
He said the company aims to harness the power of the tugs, dredging and tides, which he said are expected to be up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) higher Saturday.
"The combination of the (tug) boats we will have there, more ground dredged away and the high tide, we hope that will be enough to get the ship free somewhere early next week," he said.
- Jon Rogers
SUEZ CANAL BLOCKAGE COULD COST UP TO $10BN A WEEK
The Suez Canal blockage could cost global trade between $6billion to $10billion a week, a study by German insurer Allianz showed.
Efforts to free the vessel stuck in the Suez Canal resumed on Saturday, as the 400-metre long Ever Given remains stranded five days after running aground.
The suspension of traffic along the channel linking Europe and Asia has deepened problems for shipping lines.
- Jon Rogers
MOMENT EVER GIVEN SMASHED INTO SUEZ BANKS
Moment Suez Canal ship veered out of control and smashed into banks caught on satellite
This is the moment that the Ever Given container ship veered out of control and smashed into the banks of the Suez Canal five days ago.
Maritime tracking technology has simulated the moment the cargo carrier got wedged in the Canal and halted the global trade route.
Two attempts to help the 1,300ft-long container ship move along have already failed – but experts say the vessel could be freed today.
The vessel's Japanese owner, Yukito Higaki, president of Shoei Kisen, told a news conference that 10 tugboats had been deployed to dredge the banks and canal bottom.
- Jon Rogers
CONTAINERS COULD BE REMOVED TO LIGHTEN VESSEL
Shoei Kisen, the owners of the Ever Given, said Saturday the company was considering removing containers to lighten the vessel if refloating efforts fail, but that would be a difficult operation.
The White House said it has offered to help Egypt reopen the canal.
"We have equipment and capacity that most countries don't have and were seeing what we can do and what help we can be," President Joe Biden told reporters Friday.
An initial investigation showed the vessel ran aground due to strong winds and ruled out mechanical or engine failure, the company and the canal authority said. GAC, a global shipping and logistics company, had previously said the ship had experienced a power blackout, but it did not elaborate.
A maritime traffic jam grew to around 280 vessels near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea and in the canal system on Egypts Great Bitter Lake, according to canal service provider Leth Agencies.
- Jon Rogers
AT LEAST TWO ATTEMPTS TO FREE EVER GIVEN MADE TODAY
An official at the Suez Canal Authority said the authority planned to make at least two attempts Saturday to free the vessel when the high tide goes down.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief journalists.
Egyptian authorities have prohibited media access to the site. The canal authority said its head, Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei, would hold a news conference Saturday in the city of Suez, a few miles from the site of the vessel.
Yukito Higaki, president of Shoei Kisen, the company that owns the giant container ship, told a news conference in Imabari, Japan on Friday night that 10 tugboats were deployed and workers were dredging the banks and sea floor near the vessels bow to try to get it afloat again.
- Jon Rogers
EVER GIVEN 'COULD SOON BE REFLOATED'
The container ship stuck in the Suez Canal could be dislodged as soon as Saturday evening, the vessel's Japanese owners have said.
Yukito Higaki, president of Shoei Kisen, told a news conference on Friday that 10 tugboats had been deployed to dredge the banks and canal bottom.
The Ever Given became wedged in the canal on Tuesday, forcing companies to reroute ships around Africa.
The blockage has also caused a huge traffic jam of more than 200 ships in the Red Sea, the BBC reported.
Mr Higaki told a press conference in the western Japanese city of Imabari that they were "continuing work to remove sediment as of now, with additional dredging tools".
He added that crews were hoping to dislodge the ship as early as Saturday evening Tokyo time, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported.
- Jon Rogers
SUEZ CANAL STILL BLOCKED
A giant container ship remained stuck sideways in Egypts Suez Canal for a fifth day Saturday, as authorities prepared to make new attempts to free the vessel and reopen a crucial east-west waterway for global shipping.
The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground Tuesday in the narrow canal that runs between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
The massive vessel got stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal, about 3.7 miles north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the technical manager of the Ever Given, said an attempt Friday to free it failed. Plans were in the works to pump water from interior spaces of the vessel, and two more tugs should arrive by Sunday to join others already trying to move the massive ship, it said.
An official at the Suez Canal Authority said they planned to make at least two attempts Saturday to free the vessel when the high tide goes down. He said the timing depends on the tide.
- Abe Hawken
CAR FEARS
New cars set to be delivered in the UK are already being delayed by a container ship that became stuck in the Suez Canal.
Container ships are stuck in a queue behind the Ever Green, which ran aground on Tuesday.
Despite best efforts by the Suez Canal Authority, it remains aground, with tugboats and a specialist suction dredger being used to try and move the giant ship.
It’s believed that up to 150 ships are waiting in a queue, hoping for the Panama-flagged ship to be moved.
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