Mammoth efforts are under way to free the container vessel, Ever Given, which was forced aground on one of the Suez Canal’s banks by powerful winds. Hundreds of vessels are caught in the bottleneck on either side of the canal linking Asia and Europe. Here is a look at the rescue operation which, Race to free a giant according to experts, would most likely be a challenging and long-drawn endeavour. GETTING THE VESSEL UNSTUCK WHERE IT HAPPENED Dredging and digging • The Ever Given container ship got stuck in the canal on March 23. Dredgers are clearing sand and mud from around Port Said SUEZ CANAL AT A GLANCE 1 the ship. Diggers on the bank are also removing • CSCL Indian Ocean, a ship of a similar earth and rock around the ship’s bow. size, was stuck near the port of Hamburg in Germany in 2016. It took 12 Opened for Overall tugboats and nearly a week to free it. SINAI navigation in length North Mediterranean It is difficult for ships stuck in the canal Atlantic Sea to turn around because of the channel’s Ocean 1869 193.3km narrow width. EGYPT EUROPE ASIA Width at 11m depth Suez 280m Ismailia Canal Arabian 205m/225m Sea Tugboats Maximum loaded ship Ever AFRICA Given SINGAPORE 240,000 DWT* *Deadweight tonnage, a measurement of the Indian total contents of a ship such as cargo, fuel, Ocean crew, passengers, food and water Suez Key maritime passage Suez Canal Proportion of world maritime freight Gulf of Suez passing by the canal In % of total transport by weight 12 10.9% Tug and pull Lightening its load Removing containers Banking on the tide Tugboats are being used to free the vessel but wind If this does not work, the In the worst-case scenario, some of Experts said the best 2 conditions and the ship’s size are hindering the operation. 3 next step will be to drain the 4 the carrier’s containers may have to 5 chance of freeing the 10 ballast water and the fuel. be ofoaded. ship may be on Sunday or Monday, when the Usually filled tide will reach a peak 8 with everything from that will add an extra furniture to televisions 46cm in depth, allowing for more manoeuvring. 6 Ballast water Fuel 4 Containers 2 0 1975 ’80 ’85 ’90 ’95 2000 ’05 ’10 ’15 ’19 Cost of the jam About Cross-sectional view of where the US$9.6 billion ballast tanks are located (S$12.93 billion) a day, based on calculations from Lloyd’s List that suggest westbound trafc is worth around US$5.1 billion a day and eastbound trafc is worth Ballast tanks approximately US$4.5 billion. Help keep ships steady when they are at sea ABOUT THE SHIP 25 Built Speed Gross tonnage crew 2018 22.8 knots (about 42kmh) 219,076 on board, all of them of Indian nationality. The ship was fully laden with 400m consumer goods bound for European markets in Draft of ship* Cross-sectional area *Vertical distance between 4,800 sq m/ 20,000 the waterline and the standard shipping containers. 20m bottom of the hull. 5,200 sq m Sources: AFP, BBC, THE GUARDIAN, SUEZ CANAL AUTHORITY, THE NEW YORK TIMES PHOTOS: AFP, REUTERS STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS: LEE HUP KHENG, LIM KAILI, LIM YONG.