No traffic Jam in Egypt’s Suez Canal anymore: SCA Chairperson says

 

CAIRO - 4 April 2021: The traffic jam that was caused by a six-day stranding of the Panama-flagged Ever Given vessel in Egypt’s Suez Canal ended on Saturday, announced the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) head admiral Osama Rabie in a statement, saying that the navigational movement in the canal became normal. 

 

The total of 422 ships that were stranded and waiting for crossing the canal after the Ever Given ship went aground at the 151 km of the canal, where the ships should pass in both directions, have passed through the canal in record time of fix days.

 

“The success of the authority in crossing such a number of ships with such huge loads in record time considers a new achievement that adds to the authority's ability to manage emergency situations and deal with crises,” he said.

 

Freed at 3:00 pm (Cairo time) on Monday by 800 personnel and 15 giant tugboats, Ever Given was pulled by two gigantic tugboats from its bow and entered the Great Bitter Lakes in Ismailia at 5:45 pm and the navigation resumed at 6:00 pm on Monday evening. 

 

The canal witnessed on Saturday the passage of 61 stranded ships and also received 24 new ships, bringing the total number of the crossing vessels to 85 ships.

 

The SCA head praised the authority’s workers and employees  for their efforts and their prominent role in maintaining the regularity of the navigational movement in the canal.

 

Two days after freeing the ship, the Suez Canal Authority launched on Wednesday its marine investigations into the accident, adding that the authority asked for handing all records and documents on the board of the ship. The authority will demand compensation for losses and costs it bore for refloating the Ever Given ship as such losses and costs are initially estimated at more than $ 1 billion.

 

Anonymous sources told Egypt Today four days ago that the ship has suffered damages at its bow and water entered in the bow’s holds due to its accident in rocky soil, but such damages did not affect its sailing when it has been pulled to the Lakes.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower passed through the canal on Friday, the authority announced in another statement.