Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move but it still remains unclear when the vessel will be refloated, the head of the canal authority said.
Experts have removed thousands of tonnes of ballast and brought more tugboats in an expanding effort to refloat a massive cargo ship stuck diagonally across the Suez Canal and get international trade moving again on one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.
Admiral Osama Rabieh, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, said that 9,000 tonnes of ballast water were pumped out of the ship to lighten the 200,000-tonne, 400-metre-vessel.
Fourteen tugboats as well as dredgers are now part of the operation and they could look to unload some weight off the vessel if the current efforts are not successful, Adm Rabieh told a news conference.
Unloading some of the 18,300 containers aboard the Ever Given could only be done by other container ships with suitable cranes, he said.
“It is our last resort scenario,” said Adm Rabieh.
Where is the Ever Given - track live
He said that teams got the rudder and propeller of the Ever Given slightly working again and the stern started moving on Friday night before the operation was suspended for the night. Another effort to free the boat will soon begin but the weight of the ship, its size as well as strong tides and winds add to the difficulty of freeing the stranded ship, he said.
"We have to deal with a difficult soil, strong tides in addition to the size of the boat, its height and the large number of containers it is carrying," he said.
He declinedrefused to give a timetable for the refloating of the vessel.
“It is very difficult to give a precise time for resolving the problem,” he said.
In the meantime, ships continue to arrive at either end of the canal, waiting to pass.
Adm Rabieh said 321 ships were now stuck in the canal and its lakes.
The Ever Given ran aground on Tuesday in a narrow stretch of the canal just north of the city of Suez after it was blown off course by strong winds during a sandstorm.
Two pilots from the canal authority were on board the Ever Given when it became stuck.
Initially, authorities and the operator said wind and a sandstorm pushed the ship off course and into the side of the canal. However, Adm Rabieh on Saturday said that bad weather was not the only cause of the Ever Given running aground and that technical or human error could have contributed.
“When it comes to big accidents like this one, there is always more than one cause. The investigation could reveal a human error or a technical fault,” said Adm Rabieh. No formal investigation into how the accident occurred will begin before the ship is refloated and traffic returns to normal, he said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said on Saturday that every effort is being made to open the vital global trade route.
US Navy experts, meanwhile, were expected to join teams already trying to refloat the ship.
These are from Japan's Nippon Salvage and Smit International, a Dutch maritime salvage company founded more than 150 years ago that has recovered vessels following some of the worst disasters at sea.
Smit International is known for working on technically challenging salvage operations.
These include the Russian submarine Kursk, which sank in 2000 in the Barents Sea, with the loss of all 118 crew; cruise liner Costa Concordia, which struck rocks in the Mediterranean in 2012, resulting in 32 deaths; and the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry, which sank near Belgian port of Zeebrugge in 1987, with 193 fatalities.
The Suez Canal Authority has welcomed US assistance.
"We are tracking the situation very closely," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday in Washington, noting that the Suez Canal blockage was affecting energy markets.
“As part of our active diplomatic dialogue with Egypt, we’ve offered US assistance to Egyptian authorities to help reopen the canal,” Ms Psaki said.
Before Adm Rabie's news conference in Suez, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), the ship's technical manager, said efforts are being stepped up to free the Ever Given.
"The focus now is on dredging to remove sand and mud from around the port side of the vessel’s bow.
"In addition to the dredgers already on site, a specialised suction dredger is now with the vessel and will shortly begin work. This dredger can shift 2,000 cubic metres of material every hour," BSM said.
Canal authorities say nearly 20,000 cubic metres of sand must be dredged from around the ship in order for it to move.
At a press conference in Japan on Friday, Yukito Higaki, president of Shoei Kisen, which owns the Ever Given, said there were no signs of damage to its engines and instruments.
"The ship is not taking water. There is no problem with its rudders and propellers. Once it refloats, it should be able to operate," Mr Higaki said, according to the Asahi Shimbun.
Workers were hoping to remove the ship as early as Saturday evening, Tokyo time, he said.
"We are continuing work to remove sediment as of now, with additional dredging tools," Mr Higaki said, according to the Nikkei Asia.
Satellite photographs released by the canal authority show Ever Given's bow touching the eastern bank, while its stern appears to be lodged against the western bank.
Blocked Suez impact on international shipping
The blockage of the Suez, which links the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, has left hundreds of ships on both ends of the trade route waiting to pass through.
Some of those that were not already in the canal when the Ever Given ran aground are opting to take the much longer route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope to Europe or Asia.
However, Adm Rabieh said the current crisis would not take away the edge of the Suez Canal as the shortest and more economic route between Asia and Europe.
“The route around the Cape of Good is not safe,” he said, alluding to sea piracy off the eastern coast of Africa.
The effect of delays has doubled shipping costs for oil-related products since the ship ran aground, experts said.
The blockage could cost global trade $6 billion to $10bn a week, a study by German insurer Allianz showed on Friday.
"The problem is that the Suez Canal blockage is the straw that breaks global trade's back," the study's authors wrote.
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GAC GS8 Specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
The specs
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Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
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THE SPECS
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Specs
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
