Sisi: Egyptians’ success in refloating ship makes world confident of SC as vital route

Container ship now moves to Great Bitter Lake

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has hailed the devotion of Egyptians who contributed to ending the crisis of the gigantic Ever Given container vessel despite the enormous and multiple technical complications involved and emphasised that this success makes the whole world confident of the Suez Canal as a vital navigation artery for the passage of its goods and needs.

In remarks he posted on his social media accounts Monday, President Sisi said that by restoring matters to their normal course with Egyptian hands, the whole world can be confident of the route of its goods and needs that pass through this axial navigational artery.

The Suez Canal is the world’s vital waterway for the passage of nearly 12 per cent of global trade. An average of one million barrels of oil and huge quantities of liquefied natural gas pass through the canal every day.   

“Thanks be to each and every Egyptian who devotedly contributed technically and practically to putting an end to this crisis,” President Sisi said.

“Today,” the president added, “Egyptians have proven that they are all the time up to their responsibility and that the canal they dug with the bodies of their forefathers and defended Egypt’s right to it with the lives of their fathers will continue to bear witness that the will of Egyptians go where the Egyptians decide.” 

The presidential remarks followed an announcement by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) yesterday that the huge Ever Given container ship was successfully refloated undamaged. 

SCA Chairman Osama Rabie confirmed yesterday that navigation in the Suez Canal was resumed yesterday and the ship was heading to the Great Bitter Lake for technical inspection. 

In statements over phone to state TV’s Channel One, Rabie noted that the Egyptian state dealt with the ship’s crisis calmly, saying: “We focused our efforts on completing the work.”  The SCA, he added, contracted on a foreign dredger that played an important role in accomplishing this mission.”

The SCA chief said that the ship was refloated undamaged, adding that the authority would conduct a full inspection of the vessel.

He also emphasised that the waterway was not damaged, but that the SCA equipment were drained by works over the past week. “We will obtain compensation and we do not bear any responsibility for the accident,” he said, explaining that views by SCA guides are consultative while the ship captain is the first and only one responsible.

As the SCA chief made the announcement of the success of the complex salvage of the skyscraper-sized Ever Given container ship, tugboats that took part in the operation blared horns in jubilation. Since it was lodged on March 23, the SCA has deployed diggers and powerful tugboats in an intensive effort to refloat the huge vessel and reopen the waterway to international shipping.