Probe into accident of Ever Given vessel in Suez Canal may end by this weekend: Egypt’s SCA Chief

CAIRO – It is expected that the investigations into the accident of the Panama-flagged vessel “Ever Given” that went aground and stuck in the Suez Canal for six days come to an end by this weekend, announced Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chief Admiral Osama Rabie on Monday.

 

His comments came in media remarks to reporters on the sidelines of the celebration of receiving the newly-built cutter suction dredger (CSD) Mohab Mamish on Monday from the Dutch Royal IHC Shipyard.

 

He added that the black box is being emptied to analyze the data and then those who were on board of the vessel will be interrogated. The admiral added the crisis of Ever Given has proved that there is no alternatives to the Suez Canal, noting that negotiations are being contacted with the shipowner.

 

In his speech at the celebration, Rabie said that the Mohab Mamish dredger is an added value to the Suez canal’s fleet. He added that the dredger is 147.4 meters in length and 23 meters in width, adding that it can dredge to the depth of 35 meters, with a capacity of 29,190 kilowatts.

 

“We are celebrating the joining of the CSD Mohab Mamish, the largest dredger in the Middle East and Africa, to the fleet of the Suez Canal Authority. It is an unprecedented added-value to the authority’s fleet of dredgers,” he said.

 

The new dredger will make a turning point in the authority’s capabilities in terms of the dredging works inside and outside Egypt, he continued.

 

The CSD arrived at Port Said on board the heavy load carrier “XIANG RUI KOU on Friday evening to join the authority’s fleet; on the following day, it was floated in the canal by using the authority’s tugboats in cooperation with a team of experts from the Dutch Royal IHC Shipyard.

 

He continued that Mohab Mamish is one of two dredgers that are being built as per a deal with Royal IHC Shipyard, adding that having these giant dredgers comes in light of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s directives to develop the Suez Canal Authority’s capabilities within the framework of Egypt’s 2023 development strategy. The admiral continued that the second dredger “Hussein Tantawy” is expected to arrive at the canal in August 2021.

 

Head of the Dredging Department Mustafa Qenawy announced that the building of Mohab Mamish has started on August 1, 2018; since then, engineers and workers of the Suez Canal Authority have monitored the building of the dredger for 33 months.

 

The authority will completely receive the dredger from the Dutch team by the 1st of May 2021 and then the authority will conduct tests for the dredger for a month and a half, Qenawy continued.

 

The newly-arrived dredger was named after the Presidential advisor for Suez Canal Authority and Maritime Ports Mohab Mamish, who was honored by Admiral Osama Rabie during the celebration.

 

The cutter suction dredger (CSD) will help develop the navigation through the Suez Canal, said Mamish, praising the authority’s workers and employees in dealing with the crisis of the Ever Given vessel.