The blockade caused by MV Ever Given wedged diagonally across the Suez Canal has caused a setback to global trade. Efforts to dislodge the massive container ship are still on, and authorities fear that it may take several days, and perhaps weeks, to get the vessel floating again.
The Panama-flagged ship ran aground around 7.30 am on Tuesday (March 3), and turned diagonally, effectively blocking the traffic through the 193-kilometre artificial sea-level waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
Inclement weather might have grounded the 2.2 lakh-tonne Ever Given, said Captain Benny Kollassany, who had captained several oil tankers. He is the General Secretary of Kerala Merchant Navy Officers’ Association.
Technical glitches, too, could lead to such an incident, said the mariner from Kumbalangi in Ernakulam. Captain Benny Kollassany shared his Suez Canal experiences with Onmanorama.
First incident
Egypt’s Suez Canal plays an important role in the movement of cargo between Asia and Europe. One-way traffic norm is in place in most parts of the canal, and the waterway is controlled by the Suez Canal Authority.
Technical issues of a ship cannot be identified early. Canals are different. They are shallower than the deep sea. The ship’s draft (part of the vessel below the water level) could go down up to 17 meters. While accelerating, it dips further by 10 per cent, making it prone to hit the canal bed. These are factored in while deciding on the ship’s speed.
The Suez Canal Authority inspects the ship before she sails into the waterway. Vessels facing technical problems would not be allowed in. However, we cannot call this inspection foolproof. This is the first time that such an incident like that of Ever Given has been reported from the canal. There were incidents of ships colliding with each other earlier.
There were also instances of ships stopping midway due to technical issues. Tugs attend to such ships immediately. The Suez blockade is unlikely to have an impact on fuel prices here since India has been importing oil mostly from Middle Eastern countries. The incident could have an impact on countries getting oil from Algeria, Libya, and Lebanon. But Europe will be badly hit.
Convoy of ships
Ships are allowed entry one after the other from either side of the canal. Huge and faster container ships will be leading the convoy of watercrafts. The Authority will decide on the ship’s time of entry, speed, etc., and its pilots, too, will board the ships.
The pilots will intimate the vessel’s progress at the reporting points en route. They decide the ship’s speed.
The captain will be held responsible if something goes wrong even if it’s the pilot’s fault. Ships normally book tugs to tow them in case of technical failure or to berth temporarily. Some ships even have tugs to pilot and escort them through the canal. Some others won’t have tugs.
Cargo shops, while passing through, should mandatorily have two dinghies on board as tender. However, covered carriers won’t be able to have dinghies, which will come in handy if the ship has to drop anchor briefly.
The Great Bitter Lake
Port Suez is the southern boundary of the canal, which has Port Said in the north. The Great Bitter Lake is between these two ports. Ships entering from the south reach the lake after sailing one-third of the canal’s length. The canal gets wider and deeper here.
Vessels are allowed entry from either side after calculating the time they need to reach the Great Bitter Lake. Ships drop anchor here for a short while, and wait for the convoy from the opposite direction. The ships resume sailing only after all vessels from opposite directions have reached the lake.
Captain Benny, too, got stuck after his ship’s engine broke down while sailing the canal. He was ferrying petroleum products from India to England and had ships in front and behind him. The break-down occurred while vessels from the opposite direction started entering the canal from the Bitter Lake. The pilot’s timely warning avoided a collision, which otherwise, would have put Captain Benny in jail.
The engine was repaired in two hours, and the ship set sail the next day after getting the authorities' nod.
Held hostage at gunpoint
Captain Benny began his career as a seafarer on a cargo ship in 1992, and 29 years later, is still active. Recalling another incident, he said Somalian pirates boarded and attacked the ship on which he was the second officer in 1999. All, including the captain, were held hostage at gunpoint. The pirates robbed money, valuables and communication gadgets, before de-boarding after four hours.
Though pirates are few in the Gulf of Eden now, they are active off the Nigerian coast. Security details added to the ships are now helpful.
Captain Benny also spoke of ‘merchants’ he had met while crossing the Suez Canal. The merchants are the crew members of the mandatory dinghies. They bring with them paintings, handicraft and other curios, which would be displayed on the ship's passageways. Those interested can buy from them, and the wares are not expensive. “I have bought a picture of ‘Last Supper’ done on velvet.
(Captain Benny Kollassany was the skipper of a Panama-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier-class vessel, owned by a Singapore firm. He now lives at Nettoor).
