Smit Salvage from Rotterdam, a subsidiary of the Papendrecht dredger Boskalis, will use heavier equipment from Sunday to pull the Ever Given ship. Two large tugs are on their way from the Red Sea to the Suez Canal, says a Boskalis spokesperson on Saturday evening.
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The Japanese owner of the Ever Given ship, which is blocking the Suez Canal, told a press conference earlier this Saturday that the ship could be pulled off Saturday evening. “That seemed rather unlikely to us,” responds Boskalis spokesman Martijn Schuttevaer.
“There are continuous attempts to pull the ship afloat. For that you have to do a number of things. Firstly, we have to dredge at the front of the ship, which can have an immediate effect as soon as enough sand has left there and the ship gets enough space under the bow. ”
Very large ships
“The second thing you have to do is pull at the rear, which is done continuously but with relatively small equipment”, Schuttevaer continues. “In our estimation, that is not enough to get the ship going. That is why we sent two very large ships from the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal. They arrive at the end of the day on Sunday. Then it will take you a few more hours to get those ships out. to attach to the Ever Given. “
“With that knowledge it seemed to us rather unlikely that the pulling out would happen on Saturday evening. Our calculations say that the rafting only has a chance if you have large material hanging behind it. And even then you have no guarantees. The third step would be that. you are going to make the ship lighter by unloading cargo. But that is a major operation, because you then have to collect containers one by one from the ship. “
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Picture: Marine Traffic
The ship Ever Given has been blocking the Suez Canal, the most important and busiest trade route in the world, since Tuesday. With a length of almost four hundred meters and a width of almost sixty meters, the Evergreen ship is one of the largest container ships in the world. The Ever Given should arrive in Rotterdam next Wednesday, but that will undoubtedly be delayed. The ship is diagonally across the canal.
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