Tugs, dredgers continue work to refloat ship blocking Suez Canal

Egypt’s president orders preparations for the possible removal of some of ship’s cargo as teams struggle to free it.

Suez Canal salvage teams were alternating between dredging and tugging on Sunday to dislodge a massive container ship blocking the busy waterway, while two sources said efforts had been complicated by rock under the ship’s bow. Dredgers working to dislodge the stranded vessel have so far shifted 27,000 cubic metres of sand, to a depth of 18 metres, and efforts would continue around the clock according to wind conditions and tides, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered preparations for the possible removal of some of the ship’s cargo to help refloat it, SCA Chairman Osama Rabie told Egypt’s Extra News.