The investigation into the grounding of the vessel is ongoing and the preliminary findings indicate that, in addition to natural disasters, a "man-made" disaster is likely to have caused the grounding of the vessel in the Suez Canal. The initial results of the investigation show that, in addition to natural disasters, "man-made" disasters are likely to be an important cause of the Suez Canal ship grounding.
According to Italian media reports, two officials of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) revealed that the accident of the vessel was due to the captain's "incorrect manoeuvre which coincided with a sandstorm and strong winds", resulting in the vessel's bow being severely The ship's bow was severely off course and "swayed violently" before fully entering the Suez Canal channel, "resulting in reduced visibility and the ship running aground".
The two officials stressed that weather was not the sole cause of the accident, as some 12 ships had passed safely through the Suez Canal before the vessel in the same weather conditions.
The Suez Canal Authority launched an investigation into the grounding of the vessel on 31 March, which will examine the vessel's seaworthiness and master's operating records, as well as its accident report and equipment maintenance report, and the vessel's communications and calls during the accident. to help determine the cause.
"The 25 Indian crew members of the vessel will be interviewed separately by Egyptian maritime officials and listened to in a recorded conversation prior to the grounding. The two Suez Canal pilots on board at the time of the incident will also be questioned about their relationship with the captain and whether they made any deliberate errors in claiming bribes while in pilotage.
Shortly after the accident, preliminary findings suggested that the grounding may have been caused by the weather, with local meteorological reports of violent winds and dust storms in the area on 23 March, with gusts of up to 50km/h. "The ship's owner, Zheng Rong Steamship, said that the ship was hit by "strong winds of 74 kilometres per hour, which caused it to drift off course".
The Suez Canal Authority does not agree with this statement. Previously, Osama Rabie, the current director of the Suez Canal Authority, has said that weather conditions may not have been the main cause of the grounding of the vessel, and that "there may have been technical problems or human error".
It is understood that the AIS data showed that the vessel was travelling close to the left after entering the Suez Canal, then speeding up significantly, then heading to the right, then back to the left, and finally running aground horizontally.
Generally speaking, the speed of a ship in the river is about 8 to 9 knots, while the maximum speed allowed by the Suez Canal traffic regulations is 7.6 to 8.6 knots, but the ship reached a maximum speed of 13.7 knots 40 seconds before it ran aground, which is against the normal driving norm. Industry analysis, "Chang Chi" ship may be the ship began to deflect in order to correct the path and accelerate, but eventually led to loss of control, because the shallow water effect will make the ship more difficult to manipulate the direction, large ships can not risk deviating from the middle of the channel.
It is reported that at the time of the incident, in addition to the 25 Indian crew members on board, there were two Suez Canal pilots on board to assist the captain in directing the ship's navigation. Some analysts have pointed out that the communication between the pilot and the captain of the vessel "Chang Chi" is one of the directions of investigation, but according to the relevant Egyptian regulations, the Suez Canal pilot is not responsible for any damage caused during the monitoring of the ship, all the responsibility is borne by the ship owner and insurance company.
Since its release on 29 March, the vessel has been anchored in the Suez Canal in the waters of the Great Bitter Lake, where it has been moored since. The Suez Canal Authority said the ship would not be able to leave until the investigation was completed, and the 25 Indian crew members on board were not allowed to change shifts.
After the Suez Canal was reopened to traffic, Egyptian President Sisi stressed the global importance of the Suez Canal. He said: "An expansion of the southern section of the canal could be considered, depending on the technical staff. We don't want to take measures just because of exceptional circumstances."
At the same time, new tugs will be introduced in Egypt. Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said Egypt would welcome two new tugs, one to be put into operation this month and the other in August. The Authority is also considering the purchase of the largest dredger in the Middle East and has arranged to bring in an additional five new Chinese tugs.
As of 31 March local time, 194 of the more than 400 vessels in the queue had passed through the Suez Canal, with a total net tonnage of approximately 12 million tonnes, and a further 87 (with a total net tonnage of 5.6 million tonnes) were due to pass on 1 April. For its part, the Suez Canal Authority expects that canal traffic will return to normal on 5 or 6 April.
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