Container ship stuck in the Suez Canal sets sail for Rotterdam

The container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for days in March set sail again following a settlement that was reached with Egyptian authorities, NOS reported. The ship was then able to leave a lake near the Suez Canal on Wednesday for the first time since March.

The Ever GIven, one of the largest container ships in the world, set sail for its destination before it was held in Egypt, the Port of Rotterdam. The departure was accompanied by a ceremony.

The ship ran aground on March 23 and remained stuck in the canal for 6 days, blocking the passage for other ships. Some 30 thousand cubic meters of sand had to be cleared for the ship to pass. In total thirteen tugs were involved in the operation, two of which stemmed from the Dutch dredging company, Boskalis.

The Egyptian Suez Canal Authority (SCA), which owns the canal, announced last Saturday that it reached an agreement with shipping operator Evergreen about damage compensation. The deal was signed at SCA headquarters in Ismailia early on Wednesday.

Normally, nearly 10 billion dollars in goods are transported through the canal every day. The congestion caused a major disruption to the entire global market.

Some ships opted instead to take the much longer route around South Africa’s Cape because of the turmoil.