Ship Blocking Suez Canal Almost Freed

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

(Worthy News) – A huge container ship that blocked the crucial Suez Canal for nearly a week was almost completely freed early Monday, officials confirmed.

Salvage teams partially refloated the Ever Given after the giant vessel ran aground in one of the world’s most crucial trade paths.

Egypt’s Suez Canal, located 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Cairo, the capital, links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, allowing for direct shipping from Europe to Asia.

Roughly 12 percent of the world’s shipping traffic and a chunk of its oil supply go through the human-made canal. The waterway had become particularly vital following coronavirus pandemic-related disruptions to shipping.

Maritime services provider Inchcape said the ship is being secured. Ten tug boats participated in the refloating operation, the Suez Canal Authority said in a statement.

The breakthrough in the rescue attempt came after diggers removed 27,000 cubic meters of sand, going deep into the canal banks, Bloomberg news agency reported.

While the ship was partly floating again, it wasn’t immediately clear how soon the waterway would be open to traffic. It was expected to take some time to clear the logjam of more than 450 ships stuck waiting to travel through the Suez.

The backlog was one more strain for global supply chains already stretched by the pandemic.

Some ships reportedly already opted for the long and expensive trip around the southern tip of Africa instead of Suez. Oil prices retreated, with West Texas Intermediate losing as much as 1.9 percent, Bloomberg reported.

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