TUGS, TOWING & SALVAGE
THE WORLD WATCHES THE ‘EVER GIVEN’
Credit: SCA
Mainstream media seldom shows interest in the marine salvage industry but far-reaching implications of the Ever Given stranding suddenly made everyone sit up and take notice
Maritime media regularly recounts the salvage industry’s activities, explaining probably to the already converted the importance financially and to society in general of emergency response specialists when things go wrong at sea. Other than when global oil supply lines are at risk or pollution threatens local environments ship groundings seldom grab world attention. It was so different with the container ship Ever Given, the world focused on the incident and the outcome in the hands of a small group of committed professionals, a fleet of tugs and dredgers and for the camera, an operator in a shorebased backhoe digger whose battle for overtime payment made column inches. Ever Given was northbound in the Suez Canal under pilotage, enroute from China to Rotterdam when it grounded. The reason is yet to be determined, the vessel’s technical manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement stating initial investigations suggested it grounded ‘due to strong winds’ and ruling out any mechanical or engine failure. Suez Canal Authority (SCA) meanwhile was reported as stating it believed the impact of the wind was not the main reason for the vessel’s grounding. Ever Given is one of a series of eleven similar ultra-large container ships and while described as one of the largest such vessels (219,079gt, 20,388teu, 399m LOA) it is worth noting that around 100 container ships with a greater TEU capacity (all with a similar 399m LOA) are either in service or on order. Somewhat inconveniently Ever Given came to rest with its bow aground on the canal’s eastern bank in Asia and its stern on the western bank in Africa blocking the canal and bringing the flow of traffic to a complete stop. SCA’s own fleet of tugs quickly responded in attempting to refloat the vessel and subsequently Netherlands-based Smit Salvage along with Tokyo-based Nippon Salvage were called in to assist. Of particular concern was that with its bow and stern aground Ever Given’s midbody section was unsupported risking structural damage. On such occasions, water ballast and fuel may be offloaded
18 | MAY 2021
8 Ever Given was eventually refloated by a fleet of 15 tugs
reducing the ship’s draught and ground reaction or transferring such within the vessel itself. Cargo removal is another option but the deeply laden ship and limited shoreside facilities would perhaps have presented challenges here. Indeed, the salvage industry has previously highlighted the difficulties of offloading such ships at remote locations without the specialist gantry cranes at container terminals. SCA deployed its dredgers Mashhour and Tenth of Ramadan to remove sand from around the vessel and as well as its own contribution of 15 tugs extra towage assistance was employed including: Svitzer Port Said 1 and 2; Maridive 703, ALP Guard and Carlo Magno. After around five days, sustained efforts resulted in partial refloating freeing the vessel’s stern and changing its heading to be more aligned with that of the canal but the bow however remained firmly aground. Two days later, after further dredging and taking advantage of high tide Ever Given was refloated completely. AIS data at the time indicated the tugs ALP Guard (285tbp) and Carlo Magno (155tbp) at the vessel’s stern with SCA’s own tugs forward and alongside. Ever Given then proceeded under its own power to an anchorage in the Great Bitter Lake where it could be inspected for damage. The media attention was understandable given the eyewatering financial and practical implications. With around 13% of global trade using the Suez Canal and a backlog of some 400 ships involving an estimated US$9.6bn of goods held up every day reaching US$80bn in total before the canal reopened, the pressure on the salvors was enormous. At the time of writing Ever Given was still at anchor in the canal zone, reports suggesting SCA was attempting to secure nearly US$1bn in compensation before allowing the ship to continue. Some carriers chose to reroute their ships around South Africa rather than wait for the canal to reopen, the episode causing ripple effects of delayed cargo deliveries, unscheduled port congestion and of course the legal considerations of those adversely affected exploring how to recoup their losses. The story will doubtless run for years but without the same mainstream media attention perhaps.
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