May 16, 2023
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The whole world grappled to know the ultimate outcome for almost a week when one of the largest container vessels got stuck in the Suez Canal. With the Ever Given stuck sideways, one of the most crucial global shipping channels got plugged tightly by the 1,312-foot-long vessel as other ships kept stacking up waiting endlessly for passage.
It was a nightmare that slowly unfolded. The incident meant a massive financial loss for Egypt and also to those who were associated with the Ever Given. On 29 March this year, after striving to break free for days, the vessel budged and the canal restarted yet again. The event threw light on how frangible the supply chain can be.
After waiting for months and following negotiations between the vessel’s owners and Egyptian officials, she was free. The vessel was finally allowed to leave the Egyptian territory. The vessel eventually headed for China to get much-needed repair work done.
As Mercogliano, a military historian and Professor at Campbell University notes, the reason why Ever Given had to wait to be repaired was that the old bow needed a complete replacement. There was practically no use in putting her into a dry dock without the prefabricated module getting ready to be installed.
When out of the water, the world gets to witness the terrible damage done to her, which displaces almost 266,000 tons of loaded cargo that occurred after the mammoth vessel got itself unstuck.
The unimaginable damage to the bow is extensive considering how huge the vessel is. The force it must have required to do this to her is incredible. The lower portion of the ship’s bulbous bow appears like a pumpkin that has been dropped.
Once all the repairs are complete, the Ever Given will be capable of moving on from the distressing accident that made her so popular.
— George P. Bassakos ️ (@gbassakos) November 2, 2021
Reference: businessinsider.in
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