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The massive container ship MV Ever Given has reportedly been floated from the banks of the Suez Canal, raising hopes that the vital waterway will soon reopen and that delays in global shipments will be eliminated.
After nearly a week of unsuccessful attempts to free the vessel, multiple reports Monday morning said it had been evicted from its position on the canal bank.
The 400-meter (1,300-foot) long Ever Given was successfully re-floated at 4.30am local time (0230 GMT) and was being insured, Inchcape, a global marine services provider. he said on Twitter.
Video posted on social media appeared to show that the stern of the ship had turned, opening up space in the channel. Other images, which could not be verified, included cheers and ship horns blowing in celebration.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal quoted Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority that operates the waterway, as saying that the ship had been partially released and that it was “good news.” He said the tugs would continue to work for another hour to ensure the vessel could begin moving through the canal again.
“We are not finished yet, but it has moved,” he said.
Ship tracking websites showed that the Panama-registered ship had moved from its nestled position between the shores, with the bow pointing north away from the eastern shore.
Leth Agencies, which provides shipping services through the canal, said early Monday that the advance came after intense efforts to push and pull the ship with 10 tugs.
The salvage effort also included the dredging of thousands of tons of sand from the banks and the channel bed. High tides also helped to refloat the ship.
BREAKING: THE boat NEVER GIVEN has been TAKEN OFF and entering #Suez Channel after 6 days !!
The Egyptian crew managed to float it a few moments ago. It’s 5:42 am there: pic.twitter.com/GoMlYjQerL
– Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) March 29, 2021
Video seemed to show the ship floating in the canal. At the scene, the tugs could be heard blowing their horns in celebration.
The news came after Egyptian authorities said Sunday that high tides and the arrival of additional tugs could finally release the affected ship as the crisis entered its seventh day.
Salvage attempts were halted on Sunday to wait for additional tugs to arrive and while further excavation and dredging was carried out under the ship.
According to Reuters, two SCA sources previously said a mass of rock had been found on the bow of the ship. That appeared to be confirmed by late Sunday’s focus on excavation to remove the channel lining around the bow, which crashed into shore as the ship spun out of control.
The excavators had been working to remove parts of the canal bank and expand the dredging near the bow of the ship to a depth of 18 meters (59 feet), the SCA said in a statement.
The head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), Osama Rabie, told an Egyptian news channel that the ship had moved back and forth for the first time on Saturday night.
“It’s a good sign,” he said, adding that 14 tugs were deployed around the ship and that salvage crews were working around the clock.
Richard Meade, editor of the shipping data and news company Lloyd’s List, said sources close to the salvage operation had expressed optimism “that the vessel could move within the next 24-48 hours.”
The 400m long Ever Given jammed diagonally through a southern section of the canal in strong winds in early March, stopping traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.
At least 369 vessels are waiting to transit the canal, Rabie said, including dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels.
Many other ships have already been redirected around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to bypass the Suez Blockade, although the 5,500-mile (9,000 km) detour takes an additional 7 to 10 days and adds a huge fuel bill to the inter-Asia journey. and Europe.
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