It’s official, the boat has moved. I repeat, the boat has moved
After one of the strangest stories of the year thus far, the Ever Given cargo ship has finally been freed after blocking the Suez Canal for nearly a week.
The Evergreen Marine Corp’s big blockage occurred last week after, supposedly, high winds pushed the ship sideways, wedging it into both banks of the waterway. However, the chairman for the Canal’s authority did suggest technical or human error could have played a part.
BREAKING : EVER GIVEN ship has been UNSTUCK & Moving into #Suez Canal after 6 Days!!
Egyptian crew managed to float it moments ago. It’s 5:42 am there: pic.twitter.com/GoMlYjQerL
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) March 29, 2021
As one of the biggest trade routes in the world, the gaffe caused somewhat of a logistics lockdown and salvage works began immediately to try to free the ship.
Diggers were called in to remove around 27,000 cubic metres of sand – funnily, it seemed like only one little machine at first. Nevertheless, the operators got to work, digging away at the landmass
At last, according to Maritime services provider, Inchcape said that the bulk of the obstruction has been removed and the Ever Given is floating once again. While the job is not quite done yet, full freedom of movement is in sight.
Who knows how long it will be until the canal is finally back to normal? More than 450 ships are stuck waiting to pass through and a backlog of haulage is likely to have built up.
Some have chosen to go around the southern tip of Africa, despite it being a far longer journey, but the expected delivery window has certainly been extended.
The Suez Canal is responsible for about 12% of all the world’s trade flow, so it is absolutely essential that it gets back up and running as soon as possible.
