The Ever Given, the colossal cargo ship blocking the Suez Canal is finally on the move nearly a week after it was wedged sideways, halting global trade. The ship was refloated earlier this morning and there were reports that it had been stuck again due to strong winds, however, it is now on the move.
Footage from Egyptian state television showed that both ends of the boat had been freed from the banks, and the ship was being pulled through the canal by tugboats. The workers in charge of unblocking the ship were assisted by the forces of nature, the moon and the tides.
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA), workers on ground and the companies involved in the salvage efforts were under immense pressure to dislodge the vessel. About 12% of global trade, around one million barrels of oil and roughly 8% of liquefied natural gas pass through the canal each day. SCA chairman Osama Rabie on Saturday that the Canal’s revenues were taking a $14m-$15m hit for each day of the blockage.
Despite the ship being dislodged, it is still unclear if the canal is safe for other vessels to pass through. With over 300 ships on both sides of the canal, it could take some time before operations return to normal. Suez Canal Authority’s chief said on television that the backlog of traffic could be cleared in three days. Although, the operation could take longer.
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