Mental health expert Charles Watkins has reminded shipping and the wider world that there are human beings at the centre of the Suez Canal crisis.
The Indian crew of 25 has remained on board Evergreen's giant 20,388-teu boxship Ever Given (built 2018) since the grounding in the canal on Tuesday.
"It’s very clear to me that the crew and especially the captain is in a unique place," said Watkins, managing director of seafarer support company Mental Health Support Services (MHSS).
"They are holding up the entire global trade system, and human competency and potentially advanced technologies have failed to prevent an event like this."
As to the question of potential human error, Watkins told TradeWinds that the crew may feel responsible, especially for any concerns related to navigation.
The accident is having a huge effect and certainly a catastrophic aftermath, he added.
High anxiety
"The immense stress that the captain is dealing with may lead to very high anxiety...that may leave him worrying about his future and the future of the officers," he added. "However, all of this is just an educated guess and not more than that."
And Watkins believes that if the reports of strong winds being to blame are correct, "maybe there is very little the captain...could have done to prevent this".
All the seafarers are safe and accounted for.
Technical manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said: "The crew are working closely with all parties involved to refloat the vessel. The hard work and tireless professionalism of the master and crew is greatly appreciated."
A team of eight experts from Smit Salvage, along with heavy dredging equipment, were heading to the canal to make the next refloating attempt on the grounded Evergreen boxship.
This weekend's spring tide now appears the earliest opportunity to release the vessel, which is described as "hard aground".
Focus is now turning to the cause of the accident.
BSM said the containership was transiting northbound through the canal en route to Rotterdam with two canal pilots on board.
"Initial investigations suggest the vessel grounded due to strong wind,” BSM added, reiterating a theory put forward by Japanese shipowner Shoei Kisen.
