This is good news for the whole world, because the Suez Canal is a vital maritime route for international trade. But during the nearly 1 week of being trapped, how great of the damage has you caused, are you curious? Let’s take a look at some prominent numbers, to see how sensitive the world economy is in fact. Huge numbers The Ever Given is a super ship of over 400 meters long, weighs more than 220,000 tons, can carry a maximum of 20,000 containers. At the time of jam, the ship was carrying a total of 18,300 containers. The ship is operated by shipping company Evergreen Marine based in Taiwan (China), and is among the largest in the world. The ship has been stranded since March 23 while entering the Suez Canal from the Red Sea. After hitting the shore, it ran aground and turned sideways, blocking the canal. Initially, it was thought that the wind was too strong, but the SCA believes this is not the only reason. More investigation will be needed to find out whether the main cause is technical or human impact. And also because of the jam that alone on Sunday (March 28), there are about 369 ships waiting at both ends of the canal, waiting for the time to pass the 193km long route, although it is unknown when. Run with time Over the weekend, 14 tugboats were mobilized to pull Ever Given out of the strand. Thanks to this, it has rotated “slightly” about 30 degrees. On March 29, after the media reported that the ship had begun to re-float, the SCA announced that Ever Given was completely rescued. According to the SCA, they will keep the ship operating during high tide – a condition required to put the ship back in the middle of the route and clear the canal. Some small boats have begun to move, but others will have to wait a long time, said Richard Mead, chief executive of shipping company Lloyd’s List. “We are seeing about 450 ships waiting to cross the canal. It will take quite a while to resolve this congestion.” Scary damage 12% of world trade, about 1 million barrels of oil and 8% of liquefied natural gas – those are the numbers the Canal is responsible for each day. According to SCA President Osama Rabie, the canal’s revenue lost between 14 million and 15 million dollars per day. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, maritime operations through the Suez Canal contributed up to 2 percent of Egypt’s GDP. Meanwhile, data from Lloyd’s List shows that the damage from the congestion is estimated at around $ 9.6 billion a day – $ 400 million per hour, and $ 6.7 million per minute. Looking at the bigger picture, global trade suffers losses ranging from $ 6 billion to $ 10 billion a week, according to insurance company Allianz. At the same time, the trade growth decreased by 0.2% to 0.4%. The cost of chartering a ship from Asia to the Middle East increased by 47%, to $ 2.2 million. Some shipping lines have chosen to detour to avoid the Suez Canal – such as through Cape Hao Vong. This means that travel times, costs and fuel will also increase, affecting a wide variety of industries – from retail, supermarkets to manufacturers around the world. The exact amount of damage is really difficult to calculate until the canal is fully cleared and the trade continues. Many UK companies have said they are still waiting to know when the goods will arrive. Some even have stock right on the ship Ever Given. Although the ship was freed, some expressed concern as the canal was still congested. Many companies even think of using air for transportation, which means the cost will be tripled. Perhaps, it is very rare that the world has seen such a tremendous impact from a stranded ship. Source: BBC

Before the ship was successfully rescued, the photo became the raw material for netizens to create photos around the trapped Panama flag super ship. The excavator becomes small when standing next to the ship Ever Given. Photo: Reuters. Mission Impossible Abdelgawad, 26, is an excavator worker working in the Suez Canal, earning about $ 190 a month. At 7:00 a.m. on March 23 (local time), he started the shift as usual. However, the entrance to the workplace was locked and no one was allowed in. “I asked the security guard and he said there was a ship stuck in the canal,” said Abdelgawad. Later, he and his colleagues returned to the workers’ lodging in the al-Arbain area, about a 30-minute drive from the workplace. An hour later, Abdelgawad received a call from his manager, asking him to quickly go to the east bank of the Suez Canal. A car from the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) was waiting outside the door. “I told the manager I could not enter the work area because it seemed a boat was stuck in the canal. He told me that I would go there for the sake of this ship, ”said the 26-year-old excavator driver. “When I got there, I saw that the excavator had been loaded onto the truck so that I could get closer to the bow. Going more than 1 kilometer, my heart started beating hard “. “SCA engineers told me about the incident. With 8 years of experience working in the canal, I realized that perhaps it was necessary to suck up all the mud and sand clinging to the bottom of the boat and dig deep from both sides of the ship because the bow was buried deeply in the sand, ”said Abdelgawad. Under this option, the excavator would have to dig more than 15 m deep, while the dredging ships would have to suck up all of the sediment that clinging to underneath so that the ship floated again. The Ever Given was trapped in the middle of the Suez Canal. Photo: Getty. Real life hero Abdelgawad, alone, diligently steered the excavator through the layers of sand under the giant ship. He worked non-stop until the afternoon of March 24, when someone else came to replace him. During 5 consecutive days, he only rested for 3-4 hours per day. “I sat in the excavator and looked up, the ship popped up like a skyscraper. When I started the engine, my heart beat the hardest. Everyone was worried about me for working right underneath my baby. Such a giant ship is extremely dangerous, “said Abdelgawad. “I was scared, but still determined to continue. I’m just worried that if something unfortunate happens, how will my father and family live. He only has me as a boy, the rest are two sisters, “he said. Abdelgawad poses next to the excavator. Photo: Abdelgawad. “The sediment layer crumbles into pieces both on the surface and settles down to form very large sediments. If the ship is tilted to a certain degree, me and the little excavator will be crushed by it. I felt like a soldier in real battle, ”said Abdelgawad. On the side of the Abdelgawad family, they kept calling the excavator crew to inquire about his situation every day. Meanwhile, many people have posted photos of the single excavator standing next to the giant super ship Ever Given on social networks and accompanied by ridicule. “They posted it online and laughed at the excavator and I, tacitly said that all my efforts were hopeless. I felt very sad, but I quickly forgot about it with the efforts of the entire rescue team. has been paid back. The ship re-floated on March 29. ” “I captured that great moment and posted it on Facebook. It felt like I had won a war,” said Abdelgawad. Returning to the small village of Danjwan, located on the outskirts of Shirbin city (Daqhaliyah province) Abdelgawad is greeted as a hero. The villagers shouted his name and celebrated. “I know that I have done something great for the country. My dad said he was very proud of me. My life has changed completely, ”said the 26-year-old man.