Suez Canal

Lore & Background

The Suez Canal, one of the world's most important trading routes, was opened in 1869. By 2021, about fifty ships per day travelled through the canal, representing about 12 percent of total global trade. For much of its length, the canal is not wide enough to allow two ships to pass each other; convoys must take turns transiting these segments of the waterway. An expansion project is underway. On 23 March 2021, Ever Given was travelling from Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia, to the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands. As it traversed the Suez Canal, it was fifth in a northbound convoy through the single-lane stretch, with fifteen vessels behind it. At 07:40 EGY (05:40 UTC), the ship was caught in a sandstorm. Strong winds exceeding 40 kn (74 km/h; 46 mph) resulted in the "loss of the ability to steer the ship", causing the hull to deviate. The ship ran aground at the 151-kilometre (82 nmi) mark measured from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, 10 km (5.4 nmi) from Suez Port on the Gulf of Suez, near the village of Manshiyet Rugola. The crew, consisting entirely of Indian nationals, was accounted for and no injuries were reported. According to an analysis of data from ship-tracking websites by Evert Lataire, head of Maritime Technology division at the University of Ghent, the bank effect – which may cause the stern of a ship to swing toward the near bank when operating in constricted waterway – may have contributed to the grounding, along with the lateral forces of west-to-east winds pushing sideways against the northbound ship. Over 300 vessels at both ends of the canal were obstructed by Ever Given, including five other container ships of similar size. These included 41 bulk carriers and 24 crude oil tankers. The affected vessels represented roughly 16.9 million tonnes (37 billion pounds) of deadweight. Some docked at ports and anchorages in the area, while many remained in place. The Ever Given's sister ship, Ever Greet, was affected by the disruption, as were two Russian Navy vessels: Steregushchiy-class corvette Stoikiy and Altay-class oiler Kola.

Reader's Guide

On 25 March, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) suspended navigation through the canal until Ever Given could be refloated. On the same day, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's advisor on seaports stated that he expected the canal to be cleared in "48–72 hours, maximum". The Suez Canal Authority engaged the Dutch company Royal Boskalis through its subsidiary Smit Salvage to manage marine salvage operations. Peter Berdowski, Chief Executive of Boskalis, stated that such an operation "can take days to weeks". On 26 March, the SCA accepted an offer made by a United States Navy assessment team of dredging experts to assist in efforts to remove the ship. Boskalis' team of experts collaborated with the Canal Authority, directing a team of Egyptian, Dutch, and Japanese workers. Over a dozen tugboats were brought to tow and push the ship, and suction dredgers to remove sand and silt from under her bow and stern. High-capacity pumps were brought to remove or redistribute the weight of fuel oil and water ballast on the ship. Backup plans contemplated unloading the 18,300 TEU of 15-tonne containers using large floating cranes or even heavy lift helicopters, but this was deemed impractical and hazardous. As a first step, vessels were moved from behind Ever Given to make room for the refloating operation. Fuel and nine thousand tonnes of ballast water were removed to lighten the ship as an excavator began to dig out the bow. By the following day, the Canal Authority said its dredging operations were about 87 percent complete. On 27 March, a high tide enabled a small flotilla of tugboats to join the efforts to re-float the ship. Yukito Higaki, president of Shoei Kisen Kaisha, reported: "The ship is not taking water. Once it refloats, it should be able to operate." By 18:00 UTC, the ship had moved north by 17 metres (56 ft). More than 300 ships were delayed near the canal, with others still approaching and some diverted to alternative routes. Admiral Osama Rabie, SCA chairman, told a press conference that weather conditions were "not the main reasons" for the ship's grounding, adding that "there may have been technical or human errors", and that all factors would be investigated. On 28 March, efforts to dislodge the ship progressed to allow some movement of the stern and its rudder at high tide. Rabie said that "at any time the ship could slide and move from the spot it is in", and he hoped it would not be necessary to unload containers from the ship, despite strong tides and winds complicating recovery efforts. This came as the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, ordered preliminary preparations be made for lightening the ship's cargo. The seagoing tug Alp Guard, with a bollard pull of 285 tonnes, arrived that morning, almost doubling the available towing capacity. On 29 March, the stern of Ever Given was refloated at 04:30 local time (02:30 UTC), and a second seagoing tug, the Italian Carlo Magno, with a bollard pull of 153 tonnes arrived, giving a further large increase in towing capacity. Ballast was adjusted, and towing timed to make maximum use of the ebbing king tide of a supermoon tidal flow. At 15:05 local time (13:05 UTC), the ship was pulled free. The vessel was towed to the Great Bitter Lake for inspection. After a search of the bottom and soil of the canal, it was reopened to shipping from 19:00 local time (17:00 UTC). By then more than 400 ships were waiting: approximately 200 in the Red Sea, under 200 in the Mediterranean Sea; and around 50 in the Bitter Lakes. On 31 March, with the Ever Given at anchor in the Great Bitter Lake along the canal, divers and SCA investigators started inspecting the ship for damage, as well as interrogating the crew.

Did You Know?

• The Suez Canal was blocked for six days from 23 to 29 March 2021 by the Ever Given, a 400-metre-long container ship.
• The blockage tied up goods worth an estimated US$9.6 billion per day.
• By 28 March, at least 369 ships were queuing to pass through the canal.
• The ship was finally freed by fourteen Egyptian, Dutch, and Italian tugs at 15:05 EGY (13:05 UTC) on 29 March.
• The vessel was impounded by the Egyptian government on 13 April when its owner and insurers refused to pay the demanded billion-dollar compensation; a formal settlement of $540 million was reached in July.