Investigation begins into how Ever Given was stranded, as 140 ships clear waterway
Huge vessel was freed from canal bank on Monday
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An investigation into how the Ever Given ship became stuck in the Suez Canal started on Tuesday hours after traffic on one of the world's busiest and most important trade routes resumed overnight.
Experts boarded the giant vessel to assess it for damage and to begin a probe into how it got wedged into in the canal's bank for almost a week, disrupting billions of dollars worth of trade.
Some thirty-seven vessels that were stranded in the waterway while authorities dealt with the Ever Given managed to pass through overnight on Monday and around 70 more were expected to clear the strait by the end of Tuesday.
Authorities said they hoped to clear a backlog of more than 300 ships waiting to enter the canal in a matter of days, but shipping experts warned the impact the disruption has had on global supply chains could take months to resolve.
Ever Given sits in Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake after being freed from canal
Ship’s staff in ‘good health'
Ever Given’s 25 crew members remain on board the ship and are in “good health”, the vessel’s technical managers have said.
Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said in a statement: “A crew of 25 Indian nationals remain aboard the vessel. They are safe, in good health, and have been working closely with all parties involved to re-float the vessel. Their hard work and tireless professionalism are greatly appreciated.”
Ever Given’s owners could be fined over lodging
Ever Given's owners could be fined by Suez Canal authorities, an insurer has warned.
Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd may also have to pay out for the assistance it received in dislodging the vessel.
"We anticipate a detailed investigation will follow which will determine the cause," Global legal firm Clyde and Co said in a statement.
"Evidently the cause will impact upon the legal liabilities of the ship and cargo interests."
Shoei Kisen Kaisha is covered with some $3 billion in liability insurance through 13 Protection & Indemnity Clubs.
Those clubs are not-for-profit mutual insurers used by the vast majority of global shipping firms.
View from the sky
This photo from the porthole of a commercial plane that emerged a few days ago shows stranded ships waiting in a queue in the Gulf of Suez to cross the canal at its southern entrance near the Red Sea port city of Suez.
Ship sails through canal after Ever Given freed
A ship is seen sailing through the Suez Canal near Ismailia after the Ever Given’s freeing.
Egypt’s Sisi says ship’s stranding showed importance of Suez Canal
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday that the grounding of a huge container ship in the Suez Canal had reaffirmed the importance of the waterway.
“We didn’t hope for something like this, but fate was doing its work. It showed and reaffirmed the reality and importance” of the canal, Sisi said as he greeted staff on a visit to the Suez Canal Authority in Ismailia.
Plan for ships to pass through canal
The chair of the Suez Canal has said 140 ships will pass through the waterway today.
Osama Rabie said 95 ships would pass by 1900 local time (1700 GMT) and a further 45 by midnight.
He also reasserting that he hoped the backlog caused by the blockage would be cleared in three to four days.
How did a ship get stuck in the Suez Canal?
How did a ship get stuck in the Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal is one of the most important waterways in the world, accounting for almost 12 per cent of all global trade, but for six days it was blocked by a skyscraper-sized container ship. For almost a week the Ever Given was lodged into the side of the Canal blocking all trade ships traveling in or out, meaning hundreds of ships had to either wait in the port or make a long and costly journey around the coast of Africa. How did this happen? And what is the extent of the damage done?
Global shares see slight bounce as canal reopens and ships get moving
Global shares were mostly higher on Tuesday as investors focused on causes for optimism despite a weak close on Wall Street. France’s CAC 40 gained 0.6 per cent in early trading to 6,053.59, while Germany’s DAX added nearly 0.7 per cent at 14,914.22.
Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.5 per cent to 6,766.63. US shares were set for a slow start, with the future for the Dow industrials up 0.2 per cent at 33,098.5.
S&P 500 futures were little changed, inching down less than 0.1 per cent to 3,958.00. Japan’s benchmark edged up 0.2 per cent to finish at 29,432.70. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost early gains, falling 0.9 per cent to 6,738.40.
South Korea’s Kospi added 1.1 per cent to 3,070.00. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.8 per cent to 28,577.50, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.6 per cent to 3,456.68.
One cause for optimism was the reopening of the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most vital waterways, after a stuck cargo ship was freed.
AP
ICYMI: Greta Thunberg takes aim at global trade emissions in Suez Canal meme
Greta Thunberg has used a Suez Canal meme to take a swipe at the ‘hidden’ global trade emissions from outsourced factories.
My colleague Emily Atkinson reports:
Greta Thunberg joins Suez Canal meme party with dig at global trade emissions
Climate activist jumps aboard container ship memes
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