Ever Given ship refloats after blocking Suez Canal
The ship was on its way from China to the Netherlands when it ran aground near the southern end of the 120-mile-long artificial waterway.
JOHANNESBURG, March 29 (ANA), Egypt has succeeded in freeing large container ship Ever Given which had been stuck on the Suez Canal for six days, blocking traffic on the waterway, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday.
“Today, the Egyptians have succeeded in ending the crisis of the delinquent ship in the Suez Canal despite the enormous technical complexity that surrounded this process from every side,“ al-Sisi said via Twitter.
“And by restoring matters to their normal course, with Egyptian hands, the whole world can be assured of the path of its goods and needs that are passed by this axial navigational artery.”
“”I thank every loyal Egyptian who contributed technically and practically to ending this crisis. Today, the Egyptians have proven that they are always responsible, and that the canal they dug with the bodies of their ancestors and defended Egypt’s right to it with the souls of their fathers will continue to bear witness that the Egyptian will will go where the Egyptians decide,” he added.
Citing Egyptian authorities, ABC News reported that engineers had successfully started to refloat the cargo ship that became stuck on the banks of the Suez Canal last week.
It said the ship, which is almost the size of the Empire State Building in New York City, was on its way from China to the Netherlands when it ran aground near the southern end of the 120-mile-long artificial waterway in the North African country last Tuesday after a sandstorm and high winds caused poor navigation and low visibility.
On Friday Africanews reported that the blockage was barring an estimated US$9 billion worth of goods that should be passing through the waterway daily, citing shipping journal Lloyd’s List.
The Suez is a critical waterway used for 10 percent of the world’s maritime trade.
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa