This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt. Photo / AP
This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt. Photo / AP
A giant container ship remains stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal for a fifth day, as authorities made new attempts to free the vessel and reopen a crucial waterway whose blockage is disrupting global shipping and trade.
The head of the Suez Canal Authority said strong winds were "not the only cause" for the Ever Given running aground this week, appearing to push back against conflicting assessments offered by others.
Lieutenant General Osama Rabei told a news conference an investigation was ongoing but did not rule out human or technical error.
The massive Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, got stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal, about 6km north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.
Rabei said he could not predict when the ship might be dislodged. A Dutch salvage firm is attempting to refloat the vessel with tugboats and dredgers, taking advantage of high tides.
Rabei said he remains hopeful dredging could free the ship without having to resort to removing its cargo, but added that "we are in a difficult situation, it's a bad incident".
It has been reported at least 20 livestock ships are among those caught up in the logjam caused by the Suez Canal blockage, which is raising concerns about the welfare of the animals.
According to the Guardian, data from tracking website Marine Traffic showed 11 delayed livestock ships, while an NGO has identified others, bringing the total identified so far to 20.
The backlog of ships is growing as the Suez Canal remains blocked as this satellite image taken on March 27 shows. Image / Sentinel-1
Shoei Kisen, the company that owns the Ever Given, said it was considering removing containers if other refloating efforts fail.
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."
LIVE UPDATES: A new attempt to re-float the giant #EverGiven container ship blocking the #SuezCanal is underway. Sources said it could be necessary to remove more sand from around the ship; there had been some movement at the bow https://t.co/TpwRWlRfZzpic.twitter.com/J464yiPeUB
Berdowski said two large tugboats were on their way to the canal and are expected to arrive over the weekend. He said the company aimed to harness the power of the tugs, dredging and tides, which he said were expected to be up to 50cm higher on 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.
If that doesn't work, the company will remove hundreds of containers from the front of the ship to lighten it, effectively lifting the ship to make it easier to pull free, Berdowski said.
A crane was already on its way that could lift the containers off the ship, he said.
The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, that is wedged across the Suez Canal and blocking traffic in the vital waterway. Photo / AP
The salvage mission was turning its focus to the ship's lodged bow after some progress was made towards freeing the ship's stern, the canal service provider Leth Agencies said Saturday.
Egypt Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly called the ship's predicament "a very extraordinary incident," in his first public comments on the blockage.
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the Ever Given's technical manager, said its initial investigation showed the vessel ran aground because of strong winds and ruled out mechanical or engine failure. However, Rabei now seems to be pushing back against that assessment.
This week's #satellite#imaging lesson of the day: you don't want to do any nude sunbathing at the Suez Canal right now, there's a lot more people watching than you think ;-) pic.twitter.com/sw2BojM8Yh
A prolonged closure of the crucial waterway would cause delays in the global shipment chain. Some 19,000 vessels passed through the canal last year, according to official figures. About 10 per cent of world trade flows through the canal. The closure could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Middle East.
Some vessels began changing course but dozens of ships were still en route to the waterway, according to the data firm Refinitiv.
It remained unclear how long the blockage would last. Even after reopening the canal that links factories in Asia to consumers in Europe, the waiting containers are likely to arrive at busy ports, forcing them to face additional delays before offloading.
