Suez Canal head is considering discounts for ships affected by blockage

The pressure on the Egyptian government to unblock the key Suez Canal is increasing every day. The canal has been blocked for the sixth day and the damage to world trade and Egypt itself is growing. Some shipping companies have already announced that they will start redirecting their vessels on a longer route around the Cape of Good Hope. One of the largest container ships in the world, Ever Given, heading from China to Rotterdam, hit a shallow in the Suez Canal on Tuesday. Since then, the number of ships waiting to enter the canal has risen to almost 370, said Osama Rabiya, head of the Suez Canal Administration (SCA). In addition to other container vessels, these are bulk carriers, oil tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels. Some shipping companies have already stated that they are redirecting their ships. According to the shipping giant CMA CMG Group, at least two of its container ships should continue sailing around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa. The accident affected a total of 19 company vessels. Another large shipping company, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, has announced that it will redirect 11 of its vessels to the route around the southern tip of Africa. However, as Rabbi said, the Suez Canal remains the safest and shortest shipping route. "We provide good services to companies," he told Egyptian television. It is possible that shipbuilding companies damaged by the canal blockade will receive a discount, Rabija said, but he is also convinced that the investigation will show that the canal was not responsible for the Ever Given accident.