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The container ship Ever Given, which ran aground in the Suez Canal, was discovered after a blockade that lasted for days. The 400-meter-long ship was returned to float condition Monday morning at 4:30 a.m. and will be insured, service provider Inchcape Shipping said.
Shortly thereafter, the ship’s Vesselfinder radar indicated that the Ever Given was “en route.” At first, it was not clear when the passage of the important waterway could be reopened.
According to the canal authority, ten tugs had attempted to move the massive container ship from four directions since dawn. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had already ordered the partial unloading of containers to be prepared in case attempts to uncover them remain unsuccessful.
Relief and recovery teams tried to free the container ship of a Japanese shipowner, which ran aground on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 with tugs and excavators.
At least 370 ships are waiting to pass
After the success report, it was initially unclear when the Ever Given will be able to continue its journey north on the way to Rotterdam on the canal. According to the canal authority, around 370 ships were waiting for their passage on both sides of the canal, including 25 oil tankers. Financial news service Bloomberg reported 450 ships waiting.
Following the success report Monday morning, videos of relieved crew members from the other ships on the channel circulated online. “The ship is floating,” says a man on board a ship and raises his thumb. In one of the videos you can hear the saying “Alhamdulillah” (thank God) over and over again.
The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea and therefore offers the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe. According to the Suez Canal Authority, nearly 19,000 ships passed through the important waterway in 2020. As a result of the blockade that lasted for days, canal operators lost between $ 13 million and $ 14 million a day.
