At 4:30 on Monday morning, the container ship Ever Given was stranded in the Suez Canal.
Subsequently, further clarifications came. Ever Given has been "refocused 80 percent in the right direction," Suez Canal Authority director Osama Rabie said in a statement. "The stern ... has been moved to 102 meters from the shore", compared to its previous position which was four meters from the shore, continues the note from the Suez Authority. Around 15.00 she was finally released, positioning itself on the waterline in the middle of the Channel. "We managed to free the boat from aground - the Suez control authority wrote on its website - and the traffic has resumed".
The effects of the prolonged closure, however, are likely to last for months. And the disaster it could affect trade for a long time to come.
It was the services company Inchcape, working to free the ship, who announced at dawn that the bow of Ever Given's was refloated. The Suez Canal Authority (Sca) said this morning that "the towing maneuvers to refloat the container ship Ever Given have begun with the help of 10 giant tugs". Vesselfinder and Myshiptracking show how the stern of the ship, which weighs more than 200.000 tons, has moved away from the western bank of the channel. The shipowner Evergreen Line, which charters the vessel, has not given an official indication.
Ever Given ran aground last Tuesday, sideways, preventing the passage in one of the most important aquatic arteries in the world through which about 12% of world trade passes. It is still difficult to predict when it will be possible to resume regular traffic along the Suez Canal where 450 ships are currently queued while others have managed to change course and move towards the longer route, that of the circumnavigation of the southern tip of Africa. Shipping sector experts have already anticipated that the effects of the accident will be felt in the coming months, also due to the rescheduling of shipments following the blockade. A domino effect - suggests Bloomberg quoting Lars Jensen, chief executive of SeaIntelligence Consulting in Copenhagen - which between delays and remodulation of routes will make its effects felt for several months.
Last updated at 16.24pm on Monday 29 March.
