Suez Canal Finally Operational Again

For almost a week, the container ship ‘Ever Given’ was grounded in the Suez canal, causing a loss of several billions of dollars in trade. However, the stranded vessel has finally been removed and refloated.

The Suez Canal Authority and operators Evergreen made a statement in the early hours of Monday, confirming that the container ship had shifted position. However, the canal’s situation was updated at 1700 hours, when Leth Agencies reported that the ship had been successfully refloated and made its way northbound.

Commenting on the latest development, Evergreen released a statement saying,

“We are most grateful to the Suez Canal Authority and all the concerned parties for their assistance and support through this difficult and unfortunate situation. We would also like to express our deepest appreciation to the crew who remain steadfast in their posts, as well as the salvage experts and dredging team for their professionalism and relentless efforts over the past six days toward securing this outcome.”

The statement went further to say,

“The outcome of [an] inspection will determine whether the ship can resume its scheduled service. Once the inspection is finalized, decisions will be made regarding arrangements for cargo currently on board.”

The inspection would be conducted on the east side of Great Bitter Lake. With ‘Ever Given’ now afloat and on its way, Traffic is starting to pick up on the canal as southbound vessels can now pass through the blocked path.

The Egyptian maritime authorities had earlier delayed their plans until Monday to wait for two additional towing vessels and spring tide. According to Leth Agencies, it took 10 tugs for the successful refloat.

Although the canal is now clear, there are still issues that the blockage had created. Over 350 vessels remain anchored and are waiting to make their way through the canal. It would be some time before the backlog can be cleared.

The refloating of the ‘Ever Given’ is great news for the shipping industry as the blocked canal had already caused a delay of over $10 billion worth of cargo each day.