Tag: Suez Canal

Mega-ship in Suez Canal moved ‘80%’ in right direction

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The enormous container ship blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week has been turned 80 percent in the right direction, officials said Monday, raising hopes the vital trade route could soon be clear. But its owner said that while the giant ship “has turned”, it was still not yet fully unwedged. The MV Ever Given, longer than four football fields, became wedged diagonally across the canal during a sandstorm last […]

Megaship blocking Suez Canal may be refloated Saturday: owner

by Bassem Aboualabass CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The owner of a megaship blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal hopes to refloat it as early as Saturday, as the crisis forced companies to re-route services from the vital shipping lane around Africa. The MV Ever Given, which is longer than four football fields, has been wedged diagonally across the span of the canal since Tuesday, blocking the waterway in both directions. At a press conference in Japan Friday […]

Egypt shuts Suez Canal amid struggle to refloat grounded megaship

by Farid Farid with AFP bureaus CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The owners of a giant container vessel blocking the Suez Canal said Thursday they faced “extreme difficulty” refloating it, as Egypt temporarily closed one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s advisor on seaports, Mohab Mamish, told AFP late Thursday that “maritime navigation will resume again within 48-72 hours, maximum”. “I have experience with several rescue operations of this kind and […]

Suez Canal suspends traffic as bid to refloat grounded ship hits trouble

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The owners of a giant container vessel blocking the Suez Canal said Thursday they were facing “extreme difficulty” refloating it, prompting Egypt to suspend navigation through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Shipping analysts warned the suspension could last days or even weeks, forcing businesses to consider diverting their cargos to the much longer route round the tip of Africa in a blow to global supply networks. The Suez Canal […]