It’s the nightmare that keeps on giving. Or in this case, Ever Given.
The cargo ship that went sideways and ran aground in the Suez Canal just under a month ago is still stuck in Egypt, still being held for $1 billion ransom by Egyptian authorities, and now the latest twist is the operators of the ship are figuring out if it makes sense to take off all 18,000 of the containers that are currently trapped on it.
While the stalemate continues between the governing body demanding the $1 billion payment and the owner of the vessel, there is a huge amount of supplies just sitting on the ship, with customers, suppliers and retailers all over the country anxiously waiting the arrival of the goods.
Some of the items stuck on the ship include furniture, coffee and toilet paper. IKEA is one company that has said they have been affected by the delay. Same thing for the German-based supermarket chain Aldi.
Currently the Ever Given is anchored in the Great Bitter Laker, near the Canal, and getting the almost 20,000, 20-foot crates off the ship will be a logistical challenge of the highest order, and may require the Ever Given to be moved.
The Wall Street Journal quoted someone close to the situation who said the people expecting the goods are getting very frustrated. ”Customers are asking when their boxes will be delivered after the ship seizure, and the prospect of moving the containers to other ships and delivering them to the clients in Europe is now on the table.
“It won’t be easy to do, but there are a number of options. Empty ships can be deployed to pick up boxes and some can be loaded to other container ships crossing on the same route to Europe.”
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