Indian seafaring community watches Ever Given closely

The Indian seafaring community and stakeholders are closely watching the developments vis-à-vis the giant container ship Ever Given that was stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal.

The ship, which got stuck in the canal connecting Europe to Asia on 23 March, is now afloat. However, the fact that the Panama-flagged golden-class container ship has a 25-member Indian crew onboard is a matter of concern.

The mammoth 400-metre-long 2,00,000-tonne vessel owned by Japan's Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. and operated by the Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine Corp., ran aground reportedly due to strong winds and a sandstorm.

National Union of Seafarers of India General Secretary Abdulgani Serang spoke to the Indian seafarers onboard the ship and expressed solidarity with them.

Read: Ever Given stuck in Suez Canal afloat, traffic resumes after almost a week

“I spoke to them and expressed solidarity….we are with them…they should not feel alone,” Serang told DH on Tuesday.

"I got in touch with them. The seafarers are fine but stressed out. They are not alone and we will support them whenever required in whatever manner required…we are constantly watching the situation…we are on a wait-and-watch mode,” he said.

Serang said that investigations are on and the reasons behind the ship running around are awaited.

According to Bernhard Schulte Ship Management (BSM), the technical managers of the container ship, the crew is safe.

The Mumbai-based Directorate General of Shipping said that the Indian crew was okay.

Read: Global reinsurers stare at massive losses from Suez Canal blockage: Fitch Ratings

Serang said that the NUSI is also in touch with International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and other agencies and stakeholders.

“We express our solidarity with the seafarers, both on the Ever Given, and on the cargo ships who have been queued on either side of it. Seafarers have been expected to keep the world moving during this pandemic by getting all of us the supplies, food, and medicines we need, and then they have had this major blockage to add to their worries,” ITF general secretary Stephen Cotton said.

Cotton said that the ITF could confirm the crew was “not yet over-contract”, and all were onboard for less than six months.

“If ships were required to round the Cape of Good Hope, circumnavigating the African continent, the route would have added at least 26 days on to the typical cargo vessel’s journey, and more than $800,000 in fuel costs. However, the blockage of the Suez Canal for a week had delayed the movement of ships and many companies may seek damages which could create problems for the ship owners and crew…the probe will pinpoint the reason for the incident – whether it was because of winds, technical issues or human error,” a shipping industry source said.