According to maritime traffic monitoring sites, the huge container ship that has been blocking the Suez Canal for nearly a week began moving on Monday, raising expectations that the crucial global trading route will soon be open.
Since Tuesday, the MV Ever Provided, which is longer than four football fields, has been wedged diagonally across the river, suffocating global supply chains and costing the global economy billions.
As confirmed by AFP source, the stern of the boat has now moved away from the canal’s western bank, according to the Vesselfinder and myshiptracking sites.
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has yet to issue an official statement, and it is unclear when canal traffic will resume.
The SCA, however, reported in a statement released about 5 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) that “towing manoeuvres to refloat the container ship Ever Given have started with the help of 10 giant tugs.”
The ship had been successfully re-floated and was being guarded, according to Inchcape, a maritime services firm.
Egyptian authorities determined that more tugboats were required to move the vessel and had postponed the refloating attempt around Sunday’s high tide, according to a shipping firm, Leth agencies.
Companies have been forced to choose between waiting or rerouting vessels across Africa, which adds a significant fuel bill, 9,000 kilometers (5,500 miles), and more than a week to the trip between Asia and Europe.
According to EastAfrican, authorities said 369 ships are currently stalled as they wait for the canal to reopen.
11 ships carrying livestock out of Romania were also affected, according to Romania’s animal health department, with the charity Animals International warning of a possible “tragedy” involving 130,000 animals.
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