Global Information2021 Suez Canal obstruction information
 International Space Station image of Ever Given blocking the canal on 27 March 2021 | |
  | |
| Date | 23–29 March 2021 |
|---|---|
| Time | 07:40 EGY (05:40 UTC) |
| Duration | 6 days and 7 hours |
| Location | Suez Canal, Suez, Egypt |
| Coordinates | 30°01′03″N 32°34′48″E / 30.0175°N 32.5800°E[1] |
| Type | Ship grounding |
| Cause | Under investigation[2] |
| Casualties | |
| 1 fatality (unidentified)[3] | |
In March 2021, the Suez Canal was blocked for six days by the Ever Given, a container ship that had run aground in the canal.[4] The 400-metre-long (1,300 ft), 224,000-ton, 20,000 TEU vessel was buffeted by strong winds on the morning of 23 March, and ended up wedged across the waterway with its bow and stern stuck on opposite canal banks, blocking all traffic until it could be freed.[5] Egyptian authorities said that "technical or human errors" may have also been involved. The obstruction occurred south of the two-channel section of the canal, so there was no way around it for other ships. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) engaged Boskalis through its subsidiary Smit International to manage marine salvage operations.[6][7] The blockage of one of the world's busiest trade routes[8] significantly slowed down trade between Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
On 28 March, at least 369 ships were queuing to pass through the canal, stranding an estimated US$9.6 billion worth of trade.[9][10][11] On 29 March, Ever Given was partially re-floated and moved by about 80 percent in the correct direction,[12] although the bow remained stuck[13] until the ship was finally freed by Egyptian, Dutch, and Italian tugs at 15:05 EGY (13:05 UTC);[6][14] it took 14 tug boats at high tide to dislodge it.[15] The ship started moving under tow towards the Great Bitter Lake for technical inspection.[16][17][18] The canal was checked for damage and found to be sound;[14] the SCA allowed shipping to resume from 19:00 EGY (17:00 UTC) on 29 March.[19]
The vessel was subsequently impounded by the Egyptian government on 13 April 2021 when its owner and insurers refused to pay the demanded billion-dollar compensation. A formal settlement among the ship owner, the insurers, and the Canal Authority was finally reached in July. The ship set sail again on 7 July 2021, stopping for inspections at Port Said before continuing to its original destination, port of Rotterdam.
After the incident, the Egyptian government announced that they will widen the narrower parts of the canal.[20]
- ^ "Ever Given: Container Ship, IMO 9811000". Vessel Finder. Archived 25 March 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBCwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ankel, Sophia. "One person reportedly died while helping free the Ever Given ship, the Suez Canal Authority says". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Container ship facts: Egypt's Suez Canal blocked by massive boat". Newsround. BBC. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Suez Canal unblocked: "We pulled it off!"". Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ Henley, Jon (30 March 2021). "How a full moon and a 'huge lever' helped free Ever Given from Suez canal". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Suez Canal blockage: 4 of the biggest trade chokepoints | DW | 27.03.2021". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ Harper, Justin (26 March 2021). "Suez blockage is holding up $9.6bn of goods a day". BBC News. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "The cost of the Suez Canal blockage". BBC News. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ Michael, Safi; Farrer, Martin (29 March 2021). "Suez canal: Ever Given ship partially refloated but bow still stuck". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Suez Canal: Ever Given container ship shifted from shoreline". BBC World News. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "'Challenge still ahead' to free ship in Suez Canal". Al jazeera (live news). 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ a b Safi, Michael (29 March 2021). "Suez canal: Ever Given container ship freed after a week". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
[Boskalis] announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority, successfully refloated the Ever Given on 29 March at 15:05 hrs local time, thereby making free passage through the Suez canal possible again
- ^ "How the Giant Boat Blocking the Suez Canal Was Freed: Dredgers, Tugboats, and a Full Moon". 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ Stevens, Pippa (29 March 2021). "Suez Canal traffic resumes after cargo ship Ever Given is moving again". CNBC. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ Debre, Isabel; Magdy, Samy (29 March 2021). "Canal service provider says container ship in Suez set free". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
unclear when traffic through the canal would return to normal
- ^ "Canal service provider says container ship in Suez set free". AP News. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Traffic in Suez Canal resumes after stranded ship refloated - Business and Economy News". Al Jazeera. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
The ship came out intact and it has no problems. We've just searched the bottom and soil of the Suez Canal and thankfully it is sound and has no issues, and ships will pass through it today
- ^ "Plans for Suez Canal to be widened after Ever Given cargo ship drama". ABC News. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.