Ever Given Still Stuck? Why the 2021 Suez Canal Blockage Matters in 2024 #EverGiven #CanalChaos

Ever Given Still Stuck? Why the 2021 Suez Canal Blockage Matters in 2024 #EverGiven #CanalChaos

on March 23rd 2021 the everg given a
huge container ship over 1,300 ft in
length and capable of carrying 20,000
20t equivalent units teus found itself
caught in a serious situation within the
narrow confines of the Suez Canal the
ship operated by the Taiwanese Company
Evergreen Marine was navigating through
one of the most critical waterways for
global trade on its Journey from tanjung
pelipas in Malaysia to reram in the
Netherlands while traveling through the
canal in Northern Egypt the ship
encountered tumultuous weather with
strong winds and a sandstorm drastically
reducing visibility the ship pushed by
these strong gusts ended up stuck
diagonally across the canal its bow
stuck firmly into One Bank while its
rear was caught against the
opposite this unexpected obstacle in the
canal stopped all sea traffic causing an
immediate halt that would soon have
widespread effects on international
shipping and the complexities of global
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trade the enormous size of the everg
given as tall as a 12-story building and
its challenging position across the
canal caused an immediate logistical
nightmare efforts to free the giant ship
started quickly but with little initial
success
the disaster caused a huge Maritime
traffic jam with over 400 ships waiting
to pass including other large container
ships oil tankers and bulk
carriers everyday of blockage was
estimated to cost the movement of goods
worth $9.6 billion adding up to a
breathtaking $400 million per
hour as days went by the situation of
the everg given showed how delicate the
network of global trade
is the Suez Canal a critical passage for
the movement of goods between Asia and
Europe handles about 10% of worldwide
trade with the canal blocked the effects
were immediately felt across the globe
as ships had to choose to either wait or
take a long and expensive detour around
the Cape of Good Hope at the southern
end of Africa which could add weeks to
their trip and increase costs and
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delays the blockade of the Suez Canal by
the everg given caused a chain reaction
in the global economy affecting
everything from the shipping industry to
the final
buyer shipments of crude oil natural gas
and refined petroleum were stopped
causing ups and downs in global energy
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markets in Europe and Asia delays
threaten to interrupt manufacturing as
just in time Supply chains especially
within the automotive industry were in
need of necessary
Parts retailers worldwide prepared for
inventory shortages affecting a wide
range of goods from furniture to
electronics
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countries next to the Red Sea whose
economies greatly depend on Canal income
watched with
worry Egypt Alone lost 12 to15 million
in income for each day the canal was
blocked insurance companies prepared for
millions in claims P congestion got
worse and shipping companies felt the
squeeze as their ships were
stuck Freight rates went up because of
the lack of available ships and
containers increasing the cost pressures
on global
trade the stoppage highlighted how a
single incident could have widespread
effects in an interconnected global
economy where the smooth operation of
Commerce relies on a fine mix of
predictability and efficiency in
logistics and transportation systems
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extraction of the everg given was a huge
task Salvage teams from Egypt and around
the world came together at the site
assessing the
situation the ship’s front and back were
deeply stuck in the Sandy Banks while
its heavy weight made heavier by its
cargo pressed down on the Canal’s
bed dredgers worked non-stop to remove
sand and mud from around the stranded
vessel taking out more than 27,000 CB M
of
setting Salvage and Tugboat Crews work
together waiting for the help of natural
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forces a lucky break came in the form of
spring tides which provided the extra
water height needed for a new series of
extraction
efforts by March 29th with the full
Moon’s pull causing a spring tide the
mix of human effort and the push from
nature finally paid
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off after 6 days and nights of
continuous work the everg given was
partially lifted back into the water its
middle part pulled from the Canal’s
Banks thanks to the shared effort of the
dredging over a dozen strong tugboats
and the high
tide this key moment allowed for
navigation teams to partly fix the
ship’s slanted position offering a small
bit of hope that the canal might soon be
open
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again on the afternoon of March 29th
2021 The Vessel was finally completely
refloated allowing for controlled
repositioning to the great Bitter Lake a
wider section of the canal where it
underwent technical
examination this event marked the end of
the blockage with traffic through the
Suez Canal resuming shortly
thereafter the backlog of waiting ships
started their Canal transits a process
that took several days to return to
normal The Saga of the everg given
raised important questions about the
future concerns over the Canal’s
vulnerability prompted Egypt to announce
plans to widen and deepen parts of the
Waterway to prevent a similar
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event shipping companies re-evaluated
their risk management and emergency
plans while Industries thought about
diversifying Supply chains to reduce
Reliance on single points of
failure the event also sparked legal
conflicts with the ship’s owners and
insurers facing demands from the Suz
Canal Authority for payment for the
damages suffered
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the everg given’s trouble in the Suez
Canal was a clear reminder of how modern
trade relies on both human-made
structures and the unpredictability of
nature serving as a warning for the
Grandeur and the risks that can come
from the combination of the two
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Ever Given Still Stuck? Why the 2021 Suez Canal Blockage Matters in 2024 #EverGiven #CanalChaos #GlobalTrade