Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered preparations to unload the giant container ship wedged in the Suez Canal if last-ditch efforts fail to dislodge it, highlighting the growing risk that the closure of the crucial trade artery could drag on for weeks.
Rescue teams were gearing up on Sunday for another effort to free the 220,000 ton Ever Given, with expectations of higher tides and signs of some limited movement in the ship’s position offering hope it can still be freed while fully loaded.
But Sisi’s first known intervention since the Taiwanese-operated vessel became stuck on Tuesday highlights fears that unloading at least some of the 40-foot containers onboard — an arduous and time-consuming task — could be the only option.