“Challenge still ahead” to free container ship EVER GIVEN in Suez Canal

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has said that the Ever Given container ship, which has been blocking the crucial waterway for nearly a week, was partially refloated and has been turned in the “right direction”.

“The position of the ship has been reorientated 80 percent in the right direction. The stern … moved to 102 metres [35 feet] from the shore,” compared with its position four metres [13.1feet] from the shore previously, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chief Osama Rabie in a statement.

Monday’s move comes a week after the container ship ran aground in high winds, blocking one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Challenge still ahead’ to free Suez ship: salvage firm

The head of a Dutch salvage firm hired to extract the ship warned that the toughest challenge was still to come at the front of the ship.

“The good news is that the stern is free but in our view that was the easier part. The challenge is still ahead, because you really have to slide the ship, with the weight it is carrying,” Boskalis chief executive Peter Berdowski told Dutch radio on Monday.

3,5 days to clear Suez tailback once ship refloated: Egypt canal chief

Once the container ship blocking the Suez Canal is fully refloated it will take three and a half days to clear the traffic jam of hundreds of vessels, Egyptian authorities said.

“The canal will be functioning 24 hours per day immediately after the ship has been refloated,” Suez Canal Authority chief Osama Rabie told Egyptian TV. It will then take “around three and a half days” to clear the backlog, he said.

Japanese owner Shoei Kisen said that a further push to refloat the Evergreen Marine-chartered vessel would be made later on Monday. Attempts to refloat the fully laden ship can only be made at the peak of a high tide.

A Singapore-based salvor watching the operation closely said that based on the Ever Given’s new position as shown on ship tracking service websites, the possibility of a successful refloating attempt on the next high tide looks promising.