Technical or human error could be behind Suez Canal blockage: Egypt

Agencies| Cairo

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Egyptian authorities have not ruled out technical issues or human error as the cause of the grounding of a giant container ship that is blocking the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping route.

The Panama-flagged ship, Ever Given, veered off its course in a narrow stretch of the canal during a sandstorm on Tuesday, Deutsche press agency (dpa) reported.

But Osama Rabae, the head of Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA), said the strong winds and the sandstorm were not the only cause of the accident.

"Such a complex problem entails several factors. These can be technical problem or human mistake. I cannot determine the exact cause until investigations are concluded," he told a televised press conference in the city of Suez.

The official described difficulties in freeing the 400-metre-long vessel, which had previously sailed through the canal without a problem.

"We are facing hardships in refloating the ship due to its large size, the high tide and the hard rocky soil [where the tanker is stuck]," Rabae said.

He did not say when the ship would be freed. "It is difficult to give an exact time frame for solving this crisis ... We are working around the clock to end it."

Efforts to dislodge the Ever Given have shifted to towing, after dredging around the bow was completed, Rabae said.

If the current efforts do not succeed, the operation could start lifting load off the supertanker to lighten it, Rabae said.

The blockage is estimated to be holding up goods worth 9.6 billion dollars per day in the passageway, which handles about 12 per cent of global trade, according to shipping data.

Some 321 ships are anchoring in the waiting areas of the canal due to the blockage, according to Rabae.

The 193-kilometre Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean and Red seas, providing the shortest shipping route between Asia and Europe.

At least 18,000 ships pass through the canal annually, according to Egyptian officials.

The Suez Canal provides one of Egypt's main sources of income, alongside tourism and remittances from expatriates.

In 2015, Egypt opened a 35-kilometre extension running parallel to a stretch of the historical canal, which was inaugurated in 1869.

The expansion allows two-way traffic along some of the previously one-way canal and is designed to reduce the waiting time for vessels.

The SCA head on Saturday ruled out the possibility that shipping firms would use other shipping routes than the canal after its reopening, hinting at unspecified incentives to clients.

Revenue from the waterway reached 5.6 billion dollars last year, he said.