The tugs blared their horns in jubilation as they guided the Ever Given through the water after days of futility that had captivated the world,drawing scrutiny and social media ridicule.
The cargo ship has been partially refloated after being stuck in the crucial waterway for six days and causing a massive traffic jam. The crew are very pleased.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi is preparing orders to unload the cargo from the ship,a risky operation requiring mega-cranes and helicopters.
The global economic troubles triggered by a giant container ship stuck in the Suez Canal have worsened with the blockage of more ships carrying billions of dollars of goods.
As other ships risk the detour through the world’s most dangerous shipping route,there are plans to try to refloat the Ever Given at high tide on Sunday.
A huge ship is wedged in one of the world’s most critical waterways. How hard will it be to get it out? And what will be the fallout?
When you can’t shift a ship that’s stuck fast into the wall of a canal that’s vital to world trade,there’s only one thing to do:call the salvage guys.
“It is like an enormous beached whale. It’s an enormous weight on the sand,” said those trying to free the ship,conceding the job could take weeks.
The Ever Given,a ship belonging to Taiwan-based shipping company Evergreen Marine,is still blocking the crucial waterway blocking oil,gas and grain supplies.
The grounding of a mega-container ship on one of the world’s busiest trade routes will hurt global supply chains already battered by the pandemic and rising US-China tensions.
The 400-metre long container ship Ever Given’s hull became wedged length-ways across the canal.