Five questions and answers about the Ever Given

The world is in the grip of the container ship Ever Given of the Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen. Since Tuesday (March 23, 2021), the Ever Given has been blocking all through ship traffic that must pass through the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal is one of the most important arteries in international trade. About 12% of international trade, especially trade between China and Europe, passes through the canal. Of that 12%, 26% is containerized cargo. What the exact impact will be is still unclear but that it will have an impact is certain.

Below are five questions we received a lot last week. With our answers.

1. Is the boat already free?

Contrary to earlier reports, the boat is still stuck. According to a number of trade-related blogs, the boat has only moved a few meters so far, but it is not free yet.

2. How long will it take?

Several general news media outlets report that it could take weeks or months. Ultimately, no one knows exactly when the boat will be released. This Sunday they will try with all their might to free the boat, this Sunday the water level is the highest in 2 weeks so a better chance of success. The next attempt with the same water level can only be made 2 weeks later.

In the meantime, there is a lot of equipment on the way, to get the boat loose in other ways. This is one of the largest container ships in the world, so the equipment has to be of a high caliber to get anything done. However, this equipment has to come from all corners of the world, so it may take some time.

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Sunday.”

3. Does it affect my mission?

It affects the entire global economy, including our shipments. At the time of writing, containers from our customers had just passed Suez in time and new cargoes are still in Asia. So active shipments are not affected immediately, but every hour longer, which the Ever Given is fixed, increases the chance of even more delays to other shipments.

4. If the Suez Canal is closed, can’t containers get to Europe?

Like so much in the world, much resolves itself. The Suez Canal was built to shorten the route to Europe so there is still an alternative “long route”, which goes around the continent of Africa. This route, with today’s container ships, is about 7 days longer than the route through the Suez Canal. The first boats waiting for Suez have already started this route. So eventually containers arrive, with the necessary delays, at their destination.

It is also possible to choose to send goods to Europe by freight train. This option, due to the many requests, will also bring with it the necessary delays and price increases. The capacity by rail is very limited and also due to the many border crossings, quite complex. Of course we can also help you with this.

5. What can we do?

We advise everyone to keep an even closer eye on their stocks. In order to avoid stock shortages, extra delays at sea have to be taken into account, so keep a close eye on the stock planning. We will keep everyone informed of the situation and if you have any questions please feel free to email or call us.

In addition to our updates, the 3 links below are also good sources to stay informed about the situation in the Suez Canal.

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/25/suez-canal-still-blocked-causing-massive-shipping-jam-live

A liveblog about the situation

https://theloadstar.com/

An excellent website on global logistics services.

https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9811000

Still not quite sure if the boat is free or not, this radar website, shows you where the boat is live.