The Ever Given container ship.Photo: Media Suez Canal Head Office/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Ever Given vessel, whichbecame trapped in Egypt’s Suez Canalearlier this year, has finally been released after three months, according to multiple reports.
Egyptian authorities announced the release on Wednesday following a settlement between the vessel’s Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., and canal authorities, theAssociated Pressreported.
The sighting marked the first time that the vessel set sail since being held in the canal’s Great Bitter Lake near the city of Ismailia amid a financial dispute, involving weeks of negotiations and a court standoff, according to the AP.
“A deal that achieved justice and prioritized both parties' interests has been reached,” Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabei, the head of the Suez Canal, said, per the AP. “It ended a crisis that lasted for more than three months.”
Ever Given container ship.KHALED ELFIQI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Canal authorities said the money was expected to go toward costs related to the salvage operation, which took a total of six days in March before themassive container vessel was freed from the waterway, according to the outlet.
The money would also assist with costs from the stalled water traffic and other lost transit fees that occurred during those six days, the AP reported.
Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. told the AP that their vessel will now undergo a dive survey in the Egyptian city of Port Said. The ship will then hit the water and head toward the next port, where its cargo will be discharged, according to the outlet.
Ever Given container ship blocking the Suez Canal.Planet Labs/AP
The Ever Given vesselfirst became lodged in the Suez Canal in late March, causing a traffic jam of more than 100 ships on either side of the waterway.
As the cargo ship was sailing along the canal, a dust storm hit the area, causing limited visibility and heavy winds. The storm caused “aninability to direct the ship,” George Safwat, a spokesperson for the SCA, toldThe New York Times.
Some ships were forced to take alternative, longer routes, which resulted in additional fuel and other travel costs, while concerns of supply shortages and rising costs for consumers were also ignited, according to the AP.
Salvage teams worked over six daysbefore freeing the vesselfrom the canal, which the AP reported accounts for roughly 10% of world trade flows.
Experts noted that this was the first time they’d ever heard of a ship getting lodged against both canal walls in the waterway’s 150-year history.
source: people.com
