CAIRO: The Ever Given container ship that has been blocking the Suez Canal has now been freed, maritime services provider Inchcape Shipping has said.

This comes nearly a week after the 400-meter vessel ran aground in one of the world’s most important trade routes.

“The MV Ever Given was successfully re-floated at 04:30 lt 29/03/2021. She is being secured at the moment. More information about the next steps will follow once they are known,” Inchcape tweeted on Monday.

Media reports cited by Sputnik said that although salvage crews had managed to get the ship moving it was yet unclear how soon the Suez Canal would be open for traffic.

The incident involving the 400-meter long Ever Given operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp has caused a bottleneck in the vital trade artery connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, with more than 300 ships waiting to enter or complete their journey through the canal.

The ship was bound for Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China when it became stuck in the canal. S

putnik on Sunday had reported that the blockage of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given was causing a traffic jam of vessels that could be seen 65 kilometers from the canal’s southern entrance in the Red Sea. (ANI)