Suez Canal: Ever Given container ship finally freed

0
211
- Advertisement -

SOURCE- BBC:

The Ever Given mega-ship that has been wedged in the Suez Canal in Egypt has now been freed.

Earlier today, the Suez Canal Authority said the 11 smaller tug boats that have been moving the enormous 400 metre-long ship needed to wait for high tide to complete the job.

Confirmation the mega-ship was free came around 1pm on Monday afternoon. Tug boats taking part in the operation honked their horns in celebration.

Now the ship is free it will be taken to a wide part of the canal called the Great Lakes, and then other ships can begin travelling along the canal again.

Crews have been working hard to refloat the container ship over the last few days. Canal officials have been digging the sand around the ship away and pulling it with tugboats.

The ship was hit by a sudden strong wind which caused the ship’s hull to hit the bottom of the canal and get stuck. It has blocked the Suez Canal since Tuesday 23 March.

The massive vessel got stuck during high winds (Photo Credit EPA)

The Suez Canal is vital, as it connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and is the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe – making it one of the busiest trade routes in the world.

While the Ever Given was stuck, many ships have been stuck waiting for it to clear, while some other ships had to take a different, much longer, route around Africa.

- Advertisement -