Container ship in Suez Canal set free: canal service provider

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

World

Sun, December 3, 2023 | 18:52

Europe & Africa

Container ship in Suez Canal set free: canal service provider

Posted : 2021-03-29 14:32

Updated : 2021-03-29 22:35

This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, March 27. Salvage team set free the ship, Monday. AP-Yonhap

Salvage teams on Monday set free a colossal container ship that has halted global trade through the Suez Canal, a canal services firm said, bringing an end to a crisis that for nearly a week clogged one of the world's most vital maritime arteries.

Helped by the peak of high tide, a flotilla of tugboats managed to wrench the bulbous bow of the skyscraper-sized Ever Given from the canal's sandy bank, where it had been firmly lodged since last Tuesday.

After hauling the fully laden 220,000-ton vessel over the canal bank, the salvage team was pulling the vessel toward the Great Bitter Lake, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south end of the canal, where the ship will undergo technical inspection, canal authorities said.

Satellite data from MarineTraffic.com confirmed that the ship was moving away from the shoreline toward the center of the artery.

The obstruction has created a massive traffic jam in the vital passage, holding up $9 billion each day in global trade and straining supply chains already burdened by the coronavirus pandemic.

It remained unclear when traffic through the canal would return to normal. At least 367 vessels, carrying everything from crude oil to cattle, have piled up on either end of the canal, waiting to pass.

Data firm Refinitiv estimated it could take more than 10 days to clear the backlog of ships. Meanwhile, dozens of vessels have opted for the alternate route around the Cape of Good Hope at Africa's southern tip – a 5,000-kilometer (3,100-mile) detour that adds some two weeks to journeys and costs ships hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel and other costs.

The freeing of the vessel came after dredgers vacuumed up sand and mud from the vessel's bow and 10 tugboats pushed and pulled the vessel for five days, managing to partially refloat it at dawn. (AP)

Top 10 Stories

1	INTERVIEWEcolab helps Korean partners profit from ESG management

2	Major conglomerates speed up generational shifts in leadership

3	PPP slams abstainers in Assembly resolution on China's forced return of NK defectors

4	KOICA’s global supporters conclude remarkable journey with grand finale show

5	Son-dol: a cold day for a ferryman and a merchant

6	INTERVIEW'Lifeline for migrant workers in Korea' - Rev. Kim fights for foreign employees' rights

7	INTERVIEWKorea to work with US, Japan to fight climate change

8	Korea vows to foster nuclear energy to achieve net zero

9	Tensions rise as opposition demands special probe into first lady

10	Hana reaffirms co-prosperity vision on 18th anniversary

Top 5 Entertainment News

1	JYP to host annual audition in January

2	Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra dazzles audience at Korea International Festival

3	INTERVIEWHip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup

4	ONE PACT debuts hoping to leave big impact on K-pop scene

5	INTERVIEWASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater

DARKROOM