The 400-metre long and almost 60-metre wide cargo ship which has been blocking the Suez Canal for around one week was freed on Monday afternoon, according to the Egyptian authorities.
Earlier in the day, the rear of the ship had already been pulled free, but during the afternoon, videos emerged of the ship being towed and its engines running again.
It is with utmost pleasure that we can confirm that the #Suez Canal Authority and staff have succeeded in re-floating M/V EVER GIVEN. She is currently underway to Great Bitter Lake. More information will follow on our profile. M/V EVER GIVEN is no longer #grounded pic.twitter.com/jLjkeXAu4m
— Leth Agencies (@AgenciesLeth) March 29, 2021
The Taiwanese company Evergreen Marine’s ship became diagonally stuck in the canal, which is one of the world's busiest trade routes, on Tuesday last week when both the front and rear became lodged in the sandbanks.
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Refloating the large vessel required the mining of around 30,000 cubic metres of sand and a total of 11 harbour tugs and two heavy-duty ocean-going tugboats which finally managed to pry the ship and free it.
The ship is currently being towed to a location outside the canal for a thorough investigation.
However, according to reports from Lloyds List, the disruption to global trade caused by this incident could last months, and it will take several days to move the more than 370 ships waiting to pass through the canal, including container vessels, tankers, and bulk carriers.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times
