Suez Canal: Companies begin to change routes as stranded shipping crisis continues

Suez, Egypt – With the exception of the Suez Canal in Egypt, global shipping companies have begun diverting cargo routes, where Evergun ran and cut the passage four days ago. The largest ship (approximately 400 meters long and weighing 200 thousand tons) left Asia and was destined for Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which was hit by strong winds.

Estimates show that bottling of ships in the region has already caused a loss of about $ 9.5 billion. Seven tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) were diverted on Friday as traffic was halted in the channel due to the siege.

Video: The giant isolated cargo ship that closed the Suez Canal already ‘bottle’ more than 200 ships

The three tankers will be diverted to the longest route around Africa via Capo da Boa Esperancia, according to data intelligence firm Kipler.

“If the congestion continues until the end of this week, the planned traffic of 16 LNG vessels across the Suez Canal will be affected,” said Rebecca Zia, a researcher at Kipler in Singapore.

According to channel service provider Let Agency, the ship remained stranded until Friday morning, with tugs and trenches still working to open it.

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Depending on the power of the channel, it is necessary to remove 15,000 to 20,000 cubic meters of sand to reach a depth of 12 to 16 meters. That depth will allow the ship to float freely again, Bloomberg sources said.

Mersk, an international shipping company, said on Friday that it was “looking for all possible alternatives” to its nine container vessels stranded on the Suez Canal.

“Everyone makes contingency plans when we talk,” said Peter Sands, Pimco’s chief navigation analyst, according to CNN.