In case Egypt needed yet another strange event shrouded in mystery, one of the largest cargo ships ever built has been stranded on the Suez Canal for weeks after damage to the propellor caused a severe leakage.
The Emma Maersk, from Denmark, had to be towed to Port Said to be unloaded and repaired earlier this month. The damage was so bad that the marooned ship is likely to be out of action for several more months, said Palle Laursen, Head of Ship Management for Maersk Line. For now, a temporary replacement has been found and cargo is being transferred to the new ship.
At 397 meters long, 75 meters wide and the capacity to carry about 10 thousand containers, the Emma Maersk is one of the world’s largest container ships ever built.
Netherlands Ambassador to Cairo, Gerard Steeghs, tweeted a photo of the stranded vessel earlier today from Port Said:
Now for the mystery.
It is still unclear what caused the damage, but Mr Laursen ruled out any human error by the crew.
“The crew handled the situation very well and did exactly what they should at all stages,” he said.
That leads to one of only two reasons for the damage: the ship experienced technical difficulties with navigation, or someone sabotaged the ship.
The 192-km Suez Canal is the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe, saving an estimated 15 days of journey time on average, but recent unrest in Port Said and the surrounding cities has caused unease and growing concerns about the security of the canal itself.
Protesters have threatened to block the Suez Canal, which earns Egypt about $5 billion in foreign currency a year. Acknowledging that this is one the last remaining reliable sources of foreign currency to Egypt, government officials recently raise fees by between 2% and 5% starting on May 1.
Though the military is guarding the Canal, a state of emergency remains in force in three cities nearby, which are likely to be the scene of protests once again.
The story of the stranded ship, buried under the other ongoing confusion in Egypt, could signal a worrying escalation in Egypt’s political turmoil.
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Update on Emma Maersk Incident (Egypt)
On 1 February 2013, Emma Maersk, Maersk Line’s largest container vessel, experienced ingress of water into the engine room. The vessel had just commenced its southbound transit through the Suez Canal en route to Asia. The captain decided to terminate the planned voyage and go alongside the nearby Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT).
According to Captain Marius Gardastovu, there was never any real danger or panic at any point. “Of course it is a shocking experience when you look back and consider what could have happened,” he says. “But given the circumstances, everything was handled as well as possible because of a close-knit crew who knew exactly what to do.”
She was loaded with containers equivalent to 13,537 TEU of which 6,425 were full. The first step was to identify the cargo onboard. Cargo lists were shared with local Maersk Line customer service agents who have since reached out to all its customers with cargo onboard with the relevant information.
Alternate routings
Alternative arrangements for the cargo have been made whereby sensitive cargo was loaded onto Maersk Line’s existing network shortly after the incident. Further contingencies and schedules have been finalised as part of the cargo was loaded on Maersk Kotka (16B/1301) on 11 Feb, some of the cargo were loaded on CC Medea (3FO/933E) on 12 Feb, and the remaining eastbound cargo will be loaded onto Maersk Kokura (98A/1305) on 18 Feb.
The developments are being monitored continuously to ensure minimal impact to customers. Maersk Line’s operations teams are working in close coordination with the local customer and sales representatives to keep customers updated on the developments.
As far as the vessel is concerned, the leaks have been sealed, and Emma Maersk will soon leave SCCT to be towed to a European port for repairs. This may take months, but Maersk Line is able to reorganise its fleet without chartering replacement tonnage. The 9,660 TEU 48Y-Butterfly will replace Emma Maersk on the AE10 Asia-Europe service until she is ready to re-enter service.
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