The ship’s bow and stern had been raised up to either side of the channel, according to Berdowski.
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) had previously stated that nine tugs were trying to drive the vessel, which became stranded diagonally across the canal’s single-lane southern stretch on Tuesday morning due to high winds and a dust storm.
“Depending on the case, it might take weeks,” Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch corporation Boskalis, one of two rescue teams attempting to free the ship, told Dutch television program “Nieuwsuur.”
According to monitoring results, a total of 206 wide cargo ships, oil and gas tankers, and grain bulk carriers have backed up at either end of the canal, causing one of the worst shipping jams in years.
“It looks like a huge beached whale. It’s a huge burden on the beach. We might have to remove containers, barrels, gasoline, and water from the ship, and use tug boats, and sand dredging to reduce the weight.”
Dredging to clear 15,000-20,000 cubic meters of sand from around the bow continued after dark on Thursday, according to the SCA, in collaboration with a team from Boskalis subsidiary Smit Salvage.
The dredging work, which started on Wednesday evening and included two dredgers, aims to bring the ship back to a draft of 12-16 meters, which will enable it to be refloated, according to the authority.
Shoei Kisen, a Japanese shipowner, apologized for the incident and said that freeing the ship, which was bound for Europe from China, had been “highly challenging” and that it was unknown when the ship would be able to float again.
Another official familiar with the operation estimated that it will take days. “If you wind up in a situation where you have to clear freight, you’re looking at a lengthy process,” he said, refusing to be identified.
The rescue attempts may be aided by a higher tide expected on Sunday.
However, a predicted sea storm on Saturday and Sunday, with winds up to 80 kph (50 mph) and waves up to 6 meters high along the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez, is causing a “disruption of maritime navigation,” according to the Egyptian meteorological authority.
The Suez Canal transports about 30% of the world’s shipping container volume on a regular basis, as well as around 12% of overall global trade in all commodities.
“Every port in Western Europe is going to feel this,” said Leon Willems, a spokesperson for Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam. “We trust that it will be sorted quickly for both businesses and consumers.”
