A 220,000-ton, 400-metre-long Ever Given – the megaship operated by the Taiwan-based firm Evergreen – became stuck near the southern end of the canal on Tuesday. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said it had lost the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm.
Eight tugboats were working to free the vessel, blocking a lane key to Asia-Europe trade through which about 50 ships a day passed in 2019, according to Egyptian government statistics.
GAC, a Dubai-based marine services company, said the Ever Given had been partially refloated and moved alongside the canal bank, citing information from the SCA.
“Convoys and traffic are expected to resume as soon as the vessel is towed to another position,” GAC said on its website.
Bernhard Schulte Ship management (BSM), the ship’s technical manager, said it ran aground in the canal at about 0540 GMT on Tuesday.
On Saturday night the huge ship remains where it first ran aground and Egyptian officials are working around the hour to get afloat. Agencies