Ever Given: Cargo ship stuck in Suez Canal 'partially refloated'
What's the story
The cargo ship stuck in the Suez Canal for days has been "partially refloated," a canal services firm said without providing further details about when the canal would reopen. The ship, called 'Ever Given', has been stuck in the key trade channel since last Tuesday, blocking the canal for other ships. It has reportedly held up $9 billion in global trade each day.
Details
Ship 'partially refloated' after push and pull efforts
According to the Associated Press, Leth Agencies said early Monday that the Ever Given was "partially refloated" after intensive efforts to push and pull the ship with 10 tugboats and vacuum up sand with several dredgers at spring tide. The firm was awaiting confirmation of the refloating from the Suez Canal Authority. Maritime services company Inchcape also reported the vessel was freed.
Information
Pulling maneuvers to refloat ship continue: Suez Canal Authority Head
Lieutenant General Osama Rabei, the head of the Suez Canal Authority, told AP that workers continued "pulling maneuvers" to refloat the vessel early Monday. Satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed that the ship remained in the same position.
Background
How did the canal get blocked?
Ever Given, a Panama-registered container ship, was traveling to Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China. While passing the canal, the 400-m long and 59-m wide ship got wedged in due to a mishap caused by bad weather. Evergreen Marine—a Taiwanese transport company operating the ship—said it suspected that the ship had gotten hit by a sudden strong wind, causing the hull to deviate.
Jam
Ships opt for 2-week slower alternative route
Movement on the Suez Canal—which carries more than 12% of the world trade by volume—remains blocked due to the Ever Given, leading to long queues. Egypt is now diverting ships to an older channel to minimize disruption to global trade. Over two dozen vessels have decided to take the alternative route around Africa, which is roughly two weeks slower and would cause delivery delays.