Stranded cargo ship Ever Given refloated: Suez Canal says traffic in channel has resumed

Reuters
Mon, 29 Mar 2021 17:49 UTC

© Suez Canal Authority/Handout via REUTERS

A view shows the container ship Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, after it was partially refloated, in Suez Canal, Egypt March 29, 2021.

The giant container ship Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week was fully floated on Monday and traffic in the waterway would resume, the canal authority said in a statement.

A Reuters witness saw the ship moving and a shipping tracker and Egyptian TV showed it positioned in the centre of the canal.

Comment: More information from Bloomberg News:

Ships were starting to move in the Suez Canal after the dislodging of the giant Ever Given container ship cleared the key trade route for traffic.

At least three vessels were on the move, according to ship-tracking data. The return of navigation will come as a relief for global trade that was under strain even before the latest crisis.

There were 437 ships waiting to transit through the waterway, shipping agent GAC said earlier, citing the canal authority. Container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd AG expects the backlog to be cleared within four days.

The Ever Given reached the Great Bitter Lakes, where it will undergo inspections. Horns sounded in celebration after the ship was earlier freed from the canal's bank in an operation that involved moving 30,000 cubic meters of sand.