On 23 March 2021 at 07:40 Eastern European Time (UTC+2), a 400-metre-long (1,300 ft) container ship, Ever Given, ran aground in the Suez Canal in Egypt. The ship was buffeted by a sandstorm and blown by strong winds of up to 74 kilometres per hour (40 knots), causing it to be knocked off course. The vessel collided with the bottom of the canal and became stuck, completely obstructing the canal and preventing any vessels from passing through.
At least 15 other vessels are being held at anchorages and some 200 ships are queueing to pass through the canal while the situation is being resolved. As of 26 March 2021, the vessel is still stuck in the canal. Although there is an older section of the canal that could have helped bypass an obstruction in some parts of the canal, this particular incident happened in a section of the canal with only one channel.
Here’s how to check Suez Canal traffic live map:
SUEZ CANAL AIS SHIP TRAFFIC LIVE MAP
Live map of Suez Canal with all vessels in a specific area:
// Map appearance var width=”100%”; // width in pixels or percentage var height=”300″; // height in pixels var latitude=”36.00″; // center latitude (decimal degrees) var longitude=”-5.40″; // center longitude (decimal degrees) var zoom=”8″; // initial zoom (between 3 and 18) https://www.vesselfinder.com/aismap.jsUEZ CANAL AIS – Ship Marine Traffic Live Tracking AIS MAP Density Map. Ships Current Position. Sea Distance Calculator
// Map appearance var width=”100%”; // width in pixels or percentage var height=”300″; // height in pixels var latitude=”0.00″; // center latitude (decimal degrees) var longitude=”0.00″; // center longitude (decimal degrees) var zoom=”3″; // initial zoom (between 3 and 18) var names=false; // always show ship names (defaults to false) // Single ship tracking var mmsi=”123456789″; // display latest position (by MMSI) var imo=”1234567″; // display latest position (by IMO, overrides MMSI) var show_track=false; // display track line (last 24 hours) // Fleet tracking var fleet=”e48ab3d80a0e2a9bf28930f2dd08800c”; // your personal Fleet key (displayed in your User Profile) var fleet_name=”Carnival”; // display particular fleet from your fleet list var fleet_timespan=”1440″; // maximum age in minutes of the displayed ship positions https://www.vesselfinder.com/aismap.jsSuez Canal live satellite webcam feed of cargo ship blockage
A cargo ship continues to block the world’s busiest shipping lane.
The mission to unblock the Suez Canal and dislodge the Ever Given continues into day three as around 150 ships wait to pass the stranded vessel.
Work has begun to unload sections of the ship to refloat the huge 200,000-tonne megaship.
You can follow updates from our live blog here and live Marine website here.
Authorities renewed their efforts on Thursday while using dredgers to remove material from around the giant ship as tugs can be seen on satellite images trying to nudge the behemoth into deeper water
Overview webcam images have been sent around the world as the ship clogs up the shipping lane which is responsible for one-tenth of the world’s trade from Africa to Europe.
Suez Canal live radar: Watch the moment Ever Given cargo ship gets stuck in canal
SUEZ CANAL remains blocked by the Ever Given cargo ship, after it got stuck along the busy trade route on Tuesday this week. Watch the moment Ever Given gets stuck in the Suez Canal using live radar images, causing havoc for nearby vessels, and prompting immediate rescue boat help.
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s busiest trade routes, providing direct access the Mediterranean Sea from the Indian Ocean. But earlier this week, the Ever Given cargo ship was blown off course by heavy winds and a sandstorm, and ended up stuck, horizontally, across the narrow canal.
The Ever Given is longer than the Empire State Building, and weighs around 200,000 tonnes, so shifting it hasn’t been an easy task.
Since it was lodged in the canal’s banks on Tuesday (March 23), multiple tug and rescue boats have attempted to free the blocked boat.
But the Ever Given remains locked in place, spanning the entire width of the Suez Canal.
The blockage has caused a huge delay in trade goods across the world, and hundreds of ships are waiting to get through.
Suez Canal news – live:
Workers trying to free the MV Ever Given after it ran aground in the Suez Canal may have to dig down 16m around the giant ship.
They have deployed a specialised suction dredger that is able to shift 2,000 cu m of material every hour, with the Suez Canal Authority saying up to 10 times that amount might need to be removed.
It is thought the salvage team is aiming for Saturday’s high tide which might help re-float the container vessel.
The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen and owned by Shoei Kisen KK, a Japanese company, became wedged sideways across the vital waterway on Tuesday.
About one-tenth of global trade passes through the Suez Canal annually. More than 150 ships are currently believed to be queueing to transit it.
Dredgers deployed to shift huge amounts of sand from around ship
Work to free the Ever Given is complex and teams have to avoid complications that might extend the closure of the waterway, a Suez Canal Authority official has said.
A team from Boskalis, a Dutch firm specialising in salvage, started working with the canal authority yesterday.
The rescue efforts have focused on dredging to remove sand and mud from around the port side of the vessel’s bow.
The Suez Canal Authority, which operates the waterway, deployed tugboats and a specialised suction dredger that is able to shift 2,000 cu m of material every hour.
Officials said they would need to remove between 15,000 and 20,000 cu m of sand to reach a depth of 12m to 16m.
That depth was likely to allow the ship to float freely again, they said.
Hopes for high tide to re-float stranded behemoth
Workers trying to re-float the Ever Given are believed to be aiming for Saturday’s high tide as the best chance to do so.
The extra volume of water might provide enough lift to shift her from the sandy banks of the Suez Canal.
Toby Dunipace, head of gas at the shipbrokers Simpson Spence Young, said: “The common message we hear is that there is a high tide expected this coming Saturday 27 March, and this is the best chance to free the vessel from her current grounding.
“Until this time it is premature to suggest further impact to the market, however if this high tide comes and goes and the vessel is still aground, this may cause long-term impact.
“The next cause of action would likely be to remove containers from the vessel, and as we understand it there is no plan in place for that yet.
“The situation is developing day by day and as such things can change very quickly.”
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