400m Ever Given Ship Blocking Suez Canal Finally Freed and Refloated
- The 400m Ever Given ship that was lodged in the sides of the Suez Canal has been dislodged and refloated
- Reports say that the ship will now be moved to a waiting area in a larger section of the Suez Canal
- Ships that chose detours through the Cape of Good Hope and others that are still blocked will be able to resume journeys
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The stern of a massive container ship known as the Ever Given has been lodged across the Suez Canal since last week. The 400m ship has finally been freed from the two shorelines, according to officials.
The Suez Canal separates Africa from the Middle East and Asia and is one of the busiest trade routes in the world. The blockage at the canal forced a number of other ships ad to use an alternative route through the Cape of Good Hope.
The backlog of ships will now be able to move past as the Ever Given will be located in a waiting area in a much larger section of the Suez Canal.
Source: Getty Images
According to the BBC, over 367 ships waited to get through the canal before choosing the alternative route. The Suez Canal Authority revealed that the ship's stern was now around 102 metres clear from the shoreline.
The ship has now been fully refloated into the canal. IOL reported that shipping rates for oil tankers almost doubled after the Ever Given lodged itself in the Suez Canal. The blockage of the canal resulted in global supply chains being disrupted which threatened delays for companies.
Previously, Briefly.co.za reported that the ships stuck behind the Ever Given planned to take a detour around the Cape of Good Hope. It is a total distance of around 24 000km which will take two weeks longer than going through the Suez Canal, making it approximately 41 days of travel time.
The extra costs of the trip are phenomenal, reports say it could cost more than R7 million to go around the Cape of Good Hope. An estimated 12% of worldwide trade passes through the Suez Canal as it is the shortest sea link between Europe and Asia.
A number of vessels are waiting to start their journeys again and there is uncertainty surrounding the situation as it is unclear when the ship will be freed.
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Source: Briefly News
