Unblocking the Suez Canal
"Ever Given" will first be moved to the anchorage in the waters of the Great Bitter Lake of the Suez Canal for the ship's seaworthiness inspection.
The subsequent voyage and cargo transportation of this container ship will be subject to the inspection results of the inspection agency, and necessary adjustments and arrangements will be made. According to sources, once the "Ever Given" arrives and anchors in the Great Bitter Lake, the ships stranded in the Suez Canal will set sail again.
At least 422 ships currently waiting to pass may begin to sail through the canal as early as Tuesday.
The Suez Canal Authority decided that these ships would pass through the canal on a first-come, first-served basis, but ships carrying livestock were allowed to pass in the first fleet of the day.
Leth Agencies, a transportation service provider specializing in canal channel transportation, said on Twitter that as the "Ever Given" has now safely left, the other 43 vessels waiting for the southbound crossing of Dakuhu Lake have resumed sailing to the Red Sea end of the canal.
The person in charge of the Suez Canal Authority stated that the channel will work 24 hours a day to facilitate the passage of ships. The voyage across the canal takes 10 to 12 hours. If the channel runs 24 hours a day, two fleets will be able to pass smoothly every day.
The authorities stated that it would take about three and a half days to clear the traffic jam. Maersk, the world's largest shipping company, estimates that it will take twice as long. Data company Refinitiv estimates that this may take more than 10 days.
Shipping giant Maersk issued an announcement telling customers that the queue caused by the blockage of the Suez Canal may take "6 days or more" to clear.
Maersk currently has 3 ships moored in the canal, 30 ships are waiting to enter the canal, and 15 have been diverted to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. However, in the latest announcement, Maersk stated that it has decided to transfer two ships that were diverted near the Cape of Good Hope and they will return to the Suez Canal.
As a result of this incident, the daily loss of revenue for the Canal Authority amounted to 12 to 14 million U.S. dollars.
According to a report by the Independent Egyptian newspaper, Mamish, the Egyptian President’s Seaport and Suez Canal Affairs Advisor, stated that Egypt has the right to claim compensation from the owner of a heavy freighter that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week. Japan's Masaei Steamship Company should pay the Suez Canal Administration for any losses incurred during the stranding of the ship and the cost of towing the ship.
At the same time, this incident also gave global trade a "reminder" not to rely too much on shipping, do not "put eggs in the same basket", and promote alternative routes such as the China-Europe Express and Arctic routes.
In addition, the blockage of the canal caused a lack of logistics, which may cause the manufacturing industry to change the current raw material inventory system and increase "inventory" to avoid similar situations from happening again.
