Crews worked for several days to loosen up the stuck container ship, The Ever Given, that had become lodged across the canal completely blocking it. Today they were finally successful in getting the ship moving again.
Excavators, tugboats and rising canal waters worked together to be able to get the ship afloat early Monday, March 29, 2021. It is reported that 30,000 cubic meters of sand was dredged in the effort. The colossal vessel had been stuck in the canal since Tuesday, March 23, while hundreds of other ships – approximately 400 – waited to be able to cross through the canal.
There was concern that it might take weeks for the ship to be freed which in turn would have created massive delays in the supply chain of those waiting for passage. As it turns out with the ship clearing now, experts predict only an impact of several weeks to the supply chain. The Ever Given is making its way to an area outside the main passage of the canal, in which it will undergo inspection. Smit Salvage, The Suez Canal Authority and the crew of the Ever Given worked together in the effort to free the ship and clear the canal. Other ships will begin passing through the canal soon.