The March 2021 grounding of the Ever Given marked a critical moment for the maritime shipping industry. Its grounding came near start of the pandemic-fueled boom cycle, thrusting the industry into the global spotlight as some 12% of global trade came to a screeching halt, not to mention launching what seemed like a internet million memes.
Now over two years later, the Panama Maritime Authority, acting as the authority of Ever Given’s flag state, has submitted its accident report to the International Maritime Organization, finally shedding light on the cause of what is arguably the most famous grounding in the modern shipping industry.
The Suez Canal is a 193-kilometer-long artificial waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, providing a crucial shortcut for international maritime trade. It is owned and managed by the Suez Canal Authority, an Egyptian state-owned authority.
As for the Ever Given, it is a massive containership that measures 400 meters in length and can carry up to 20,000 twenty-foot containers (TEUs).
Before its fateful voyage on March 23, 2021, the Ever Given was anchored south of the canal, awaiting transit. Winds started to pick up, gusting to 35 knots at one point and causing the ship to drag anchor. The Master then raised the anchor and informed port control that the vessel intended to proceed to a safer location outside the Suez Canal waiting area anchorage. However, port control instructed the Ever Given to hold position, as a convoy was starting and a pilot was on the way to the vessel, according to the report.
Around ninety minutes after the first pilot boarded, two additional Suez Canal pilots joined the crew and the Ever Given began its transit. It entered the Suez Canal without any issues, becoming the fifth ship in a northbound convoy. However, as the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) pilots changed over, wind speed increased and visibility reduced due to blowing sand.
The two pilots had difficulty keeping the ship centred in the channel, and they ordered increased speed to aid in steering. However, the ship began turning to starboard. Despite efforts to correct the course, the Ever Given continued turning and eventually ran aground on the eastern bank of the canal.
The ship became firmly wedged across the waterway, with its bow and stern stuck in the canal banks. Initially, the Suez Canal Authority attempted to refloat the vessel using canal tugs and the now-famous digger to excavate the bow. However, these attempts were unsuccessful. The Suez Canal was blocked.
As the backup swelled to more than 400 ships, a frantic effort was launched to refloat the ship. The Suez Canal remained blocked for six days until it was freed on March 29, 2021.
The report found a combination of factors contributed to the grounding.
First, the VTMS (Vessel Traffic Management System), SCA pilots, and the ship’s master failed to adequately assess the risk of bad weather conditions, including strong winds and reduced visibility. The ship did not take preventive measures against such conditions, including requesting tugboat assistance or postponing the transit. The non-use of tugboats in the restricted area contributed to the incident, the report said.
The report was highly critical of navigation decisions made by the SCA Pilots. According to the report, they did not take bad weather conditions into account, gave improper instructions to the helmsman, and did not communicate effectively with the bridge team due to language difficulties. The report emphasizes the importance of careful pilot management and integration with the bridge team to reduce risks, highlighting the ineffective communication between the Ever Given’s bridge team and the pilots. Discussions between the pilots in Arabic hindered the rest of the bridge team’s understanding of the pilot’s concerns and potential hazards.
“Language difficulties can also add to problems associated with pilots and these should be considered. In the case of M/V EVER GIVEN, although Pilots orders were given in English language, the discussion between them was always in Arabic language, therefore the Bridge Team, could not understand pilots concerns (if any), the potential hazards, in order to on time and effectively conduct risk assessment.”
The ship was also traveling at a speed of 12-13 knots, which exceeds the maximum permissible speed of 8.64 knots for ships in the Suez Canal.
The captain’s interventions and instructions to the helmsman were ineffective in preventing the grounding, the report says. According to Suez Canal regulations, the captain has ultimate command of the ship, while the pilots fulfill only an advisory role and do not give orders unless authorized by the captain. However, in this case, the captain was not actively involved in piloting the ship.
The effects of squat (reduction in ship’s draft due to confined water) and bank (interaction between the ship’s hull and the canal bank) also influenced the loss of manoeuvrability.
The Panama Maritime Authority made several recommendations in its report, including crew training, clear communication during pilotage, evaluating the pilot’s actions, and paying attention to the transit.
The report also recommends additional internal auditing for operators and managers, specific training courses for transit in the Suez Canal, and training campaigns for the bridge team. The Suez Canal Authority is advised to review its procedures and regulations, train pilots to manoeuvre larger vessels, impose English as the working language, and implement a system of alerts and contingency plan procedures.
The grounding of the Ever Given had significant impacts on global trade and brought attention to the maritime shipping industry. With the accident report finally shedding light on the various factors that contributed to the grounding and recommendations to reduce the risk of future incidents, it remains to be seen how the industry will respond and what changes will be made to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
