The stranded container ship blocking the Suez Canal for almost a week was re-floated on Monday and is currently being rescued, as per reports.
According to maritime services provider – Inchcape, the giant vessel ‘Ever Given’ that was stuck in the Suez Canal for over a week was freed by the salvage teams. The cargo ship had run aground in one of the world’s most important trade routes, causing a huge maritime crisis in recent history.
The 400-metre (430-yard) long ‘Ever Given’ was successfully re-floated at 4.30 am local time (0230 GMT) and was being secured, Inchcape, a global provider of marine services, said on Twitter.
The MV Ever Given was successfully re-floated at 04:30 lt 29/03/2021. She is being secured at the moment. More information about next steps will follow once they are known. #suezcanel #maritime pic.twitter.com/f3iuYYiRRi
— Inchcape Shipping (@Inchcape_SS) March 29, 2021
Even if the ship has been freed from the bank where its bulbous bow has been stuck, it is not yet clear how soon the waterway would be open to regular shipping traffic. More than 450 ships are believed to be stuck near Suez due to the blockage.
BREAKING : EVER GIVEN ship has been UNSTUCK & Moving into #Suez Canal after 6 Days!!
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) March 29, 2021
Egyptian crew managed to float it moments ago. It’s 5:42 am there: pic.twitter.com/GoMlYjQerL
The Suez canal accounts for over 12% of global maritime trade, and the blockage had created shocks in supply chain management across the world. Some ships waited for the crisis to over, while some opted for the long and expensive trip around Africa’s southern tip instead of Suez.
Suez Canal blocked by ‘Ever Given’
A huge container ship named ‘Ever Given’ had run aground in the Suez Canal after being blown off course by a “gust of wind”, resulting in a huge traffic jam of vessels at either end of the crucial international trade route. The cargo ship, which is three-years-old and is registered in Panama, was on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China when it got stuck in the Suez Canal.
Look at the size of the ship blocking the #SuezCanal if you zoom into the bow of the ship you can see a digger for size reference pic.twitter.com/428ha5ejav
— Brendan Cruise (@brendancruise) March 23, 2021
Weighing 220,000 tonnes and running 400 metres long, the “mega-ship” Ever Given had jammed itself diagonally across a southern section of the canal in high winds early on Tuesday, blocking shipping traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.
Suez Canal is a crucial lane that links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and is the fastest maritime link between Asia and Europe. The watercourse, which is around 193 km long, was built by the Suez Canal Company in the mid-1860s and was officially opened in 1869.
It is estimated that about 12 per cent of the world trade volume happens through it, making it one of the world’s busiest trade routes. According to the Suez Canal Authority, about 19,000 carriers, or an average of 51.5 ships per day, with a net tonnage of 1.17 billion tonnes passed through the waterway in 2020.