Ever Given Colossal Cargo Ship is Freed from the Suez Canal with Tugboats Celebrating via Horn After Six Days Later

Ever Given Colossal Cargo Ship is Freed from the Suez Canal with Tugboats Celebrating via Horn After Six Days Later

source epasource gettyimages

The massive cargo ship, Ever Given after blocking the Suez Canal for close to six days has finally refloated early today which has brought the shipping route to a halt and causing billions of dollars worth of trade to a standstill. The Egyptian canal authorities said that the 220,000 ton Ever-Given has been turning 80 per cent in the right direction after the vessel was moved by 335 ft and rescue team vacuumed up sand from the canal bank.

source reuterssource SuezCanal

Footage video showed those tugboats blaring their horns and captain giving a thumb up as rescuers all celebrate the breakthrough after taking the advantage of the high tide bring by the supermoon to partially refloat the ship. But it is still remain unclear as how long would it take to fully reopen the canal where currently a hundred of ships is waiting in a massive traffic jam with  £6.5billion of global trade being held up each day.

source reuterssource EPA

However, the disruption from the canal blockage comes at a tricky time for international trade and shipping where cost of shipping goods from Asia to Europe hit a record high in the recent month and global freight rates are already near three times at the level of a year ago. The oil prices may be kept in check by worries that demand for oil will weaken.

More than 300 vessels carrying everything from crude oil to cattle are still waiting for the canal to pass through and a dozen more are taking the alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope at Africa’s southern tip which will add some two weeks and thousands of miles to journey and in result of delivery delays. This weekend, it was revealed that ship containing livestock and IKEA furnishing had been left stranded in this traffic jam and according to NGO Animal International’s EU Coordinator, Gerit Weidinger, the greatest fear was these animals will run out of food and water and they got stuck on the ship because they cannot be unloaded somewhere else for paperwork reason.

source gettyimagessource dailymail

source associated press