On Sunday (March 28), the U.S. Pentagon noted that the blockage of the Suez Canal by cargo giants will affect the activities of U.S. warships, but stressed that the Defense Department has other means of supporting operations in the region.
A U.S. Navy spokesman did not comment Sunday on the specific impact the blocked Suez Canal will have on U.S. forces, but said the problem will increase as the canal becomes longer out of service.
“We’re not going to talk about the specific impact. The Suez Canal is an essential maritime transportation hub, and the longer the channel is blocked, the greater the impact on civilian and military transit,” said Rebecca Rebarich, public affairs officer for U.S. 5th Fleet Naval Forces Central Command, adding that despite this, authorities have measures in place to mitigate ” impact on operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility” and continue to provide support to operations in the area of responsibility.
The Pentagon’s comments come as more than 350 ships are waiting to transit around the Suez Canal, and some experts warn that new problems are emerging, including the inability of some businesses to afford the extra Time and expense of sea voyages and the risks posed by piracy.
Paul Sullivan, a U.S. international security expert and professor at the National Defense University, said in an interview with the Voice of America, “If this incident leads to more and more ships traveling along the African coast, then security arrangements around areas where there is known piracy, particularly in the waters around Somalia and Yemen, will need to be strengthened. “
“If any ships need to be deployed from various locations because of problems in the Gulf, response times could be affected. (The closure of the Suez Canal) could also affect the military’s response time to places like the Indian Ocean,” he added in an e-mailed statement to The Hill, “It is time to rethink and strengthen the international security arrangements associated with these critical regions. They are called ‘choke points’ for a reason.”
Paul Sullivan said, “(The closure of the canal route) will likely provide more opportunities and targets for pirates and others with bad intentions. This could further cripple many coast guards and navies.”
The Ever Given, a giant container ship chartered by Taiwan‘s Evergreen, has run aground in the Suez Canal since the 23rd, triggering the worst blockage in the history of the Suez Canal. The Egyptian government has now closed the canal and a large number of ships have been forced to divert or wait around.
Attempts to move the stranded vessel had been underway for six days by Sunday (March 28), with only minor movement of the vessel until 4 a.m. Sunday. Egyptian officials have worked with experts from several other countries and say their efforts have had limited success so far, with the ship’s power restored, though the massive vessel remains trapped in the sand and gravel, blocking all traffic in both directions of the canal.
According to Bloomberg, the ship has been found with a damaged bow and sea water flooding into two compartments, and powerful pumps are being used to keep the ship stable. Whether the giant ship will be able to restart its voyage remains to be seen after the breakaway.
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