The huge ship blocking the Suez Canal started to move slightly yesterday as the boss of a salvage firm revealed his plan to clear the tanker.
The 400-metre long Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal amid high winds early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways.
After being blocked there for days, the tanker moved slightly on Saturday, two Suez Canal Authority (SCA) sources said.
Minor progress in the ship's movement was made thanks to a combination of dredging material from around the tanker and pulling and pushing the vessel with tugboats.
However, heavy winds and a strong tide made work to free the boat more difficult.
SCA Chairman Osama Rabie told local TV that water had started running underneath the ship.
He told a press conference yesterday: “The ship’s stern began to move towards Suez, and that was a positive sign until 11pm (9pm GMT) at night, but the tide fell significantly and we stopped.
“We expect that at any time the ship could slide and move from the spot it is in.”
Dredgers removed some 20,000 tonnes of sand from around its bow by Friday.
The head of Boskalis, parent company of Dutch firm Smit Salvage which has been brought in to help the SCA, said heavy tugboats with a combined capacity of 400 tonnes would arrive sometime this weekend.
Peter Berdowski said: “We aim to get it done after the weekend, but everything will have to work out exactly right for that.”
He also said a land crane could lighten the Ever Given’s load by removing containers, though experts have warned that such a process could be complex and lengthy.
“If we don’t succeed in getting it loose next week, we will have to remove some 600 containers from the bow to reduce the weight,” he added.
“That will set us back days at least, because where to leave all those containers will be quite a puzzle.”
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday thanked foreign partners for offers to help refloat the ship.
Shipping rates for oil product tankers nearly doubled after the ship became stranded, threatening costly delays for companies already dealing with Covid-19 restrictions.
It comes as experts warned of price hikes in UK shops after the blockage sent world trade into a tailspin.
Shoppers could struggle to get hold of products ranging from screws to garden furniture as experts warned the “phenomenal impact” of the stuck Ever Given will be felt for “months”.
Shipping expert Lars Jensen said there is “no hiding from the ripple effect” of the blockage, which has caused traffic jams of over 321 ships in the Red Sea and $9billion a day in losses.
Mr Jensen, chief executive of Sea-Intelligence Consulting, warned: “Even if the canal was to open tomorrow it would cause months of shipping delays.
“This is majorly important for companies and retailers.
“At some point it will reopen, and when that happens it will be like ketchup out of a bottle.
“Normally Europe receives around 50,000 containers a day as ports can largely handle that flow. Suddenly there will be a huge chunk of cargo at once, resulting in ports congesting.
"Ports won’t be able to handle this. Once you get all the cargo off the ships transporting them on trucks and rail is going to be a problem.
“The longer it takes to clear the blockage, the worse this gets.”
