The giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal has been at least partially refloated, the first step toward getting one of the world’s most important trade arteries moving again.
The Ever Given was successfully refloated at about 4:30 a.m. local time in Egypt and the vessel is currently being secured, maritime services provider Inchcape Shipping Services said in an email. It followed a new attempt to dislodge the ship involving 10 tug boats, according to the Suez Canal Authority.
There was no immediate clarity on the crucial question of when traffic in the canal will restart. The ship has a damaged hull and it’s not clear how soon it will be able to clear the way for other vessels to pass.
Ever Given — which is longer than the canal is wide and was wedged across the waterway — has been stuck since Tuesday, causing a backlog of hundreds of ships and snarling global supply lines that were already under pressure. Salvage teams used tugs and dredgers to extract the ship’s bow from the sandy bank where it was lodged at least five meters in.
Screen shot shows the position of the MV Ever Given following reports that the ship had been refloated. Taken Mar 23, 04:17 UTC. Credit: VesselFinder.com
Once the vessel has been cleared, authorities will work to allow traffic to resume through the canal that’s a conduit for about 12% of world trade. At last count, 450 vessels were stuck, waiting or headed to the waterway. Others have diverted to the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.
Shipping experts still anticipate already-stretched ocean freight markets will see even more tightness over the coming months because of disrupted schedules and the uneven wave of cargo that will hit ports down the line.
“The dominoes have been toppled,” Lars Jensen, chief executive of SeaIntelligence Consulting in Copenhagen, wrote on social media over the weekend. “The delays and re-routing which have already happened will cause ripple effects on both vessels and empty equipment which will be feltfor several months.”
Companies from Ikea to Caterpillar Inc. have been affected by the snarl-up and thousands of live animals are stuck on ships in the area. Consumer goods, industrial inputs, and commodities from oil to coffee are caught up in the jam, with Asian exporters and European importers affected most directly.
A rough estimate shows the blockage is costing about $400 million an hour, based on calculations from Lloyd’s List that suggest westbound traffic is worth around $5.1 billion a day and eastbound traffic is approximately $4.5 billion.
The accident — which happened as the giant vessel tried to navigate the canal with high winds and poor visibility — is another reminder of the fragility of global supply chains that have already been tested by the pandemic. The container industry was already suffering a supply crunch for the truck-size boxes that are now crucial to trade — and operating at full capacity.
The investigation into what went wrong as the Ever Given tried to navigate the narrow waterway continues, as well as the untangling of liabilities and insurance claims
–With assistance from Brendan Murray, Alex Longley, Abdel Latif Wahba and Dan Murtaugh.
Indian agencies detected an oil spill from a container ship that capsized off the coast of the southern state of Kerala early Sunday, triggering efforts to contain the environmental damage, the defense ministry said in a statement a day after the incident.
Despite reaching record-low vessel losses in 2024, the maritime industry faces mounting challenges from geopolitical tensions and an expanding shadow fleet, according to Allianz Commercial’s latest Safety and Shipping Review....
The Liberian-flagged containership MSC ELSA 3 sank off the coast of Kochi, India, following a severe list that developed approximately 38 nautical miles southwest of the port. The incident began...
May 25, 2025
Total Views: 38725
Get The Industry’s Go-To News
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
— just like 109,085 professionals
Secure Your Spot
on the gCaptain Crew
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
— trusted by our 109,085 members
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.