Breaking News Ever Given ship stuck in Suez Canal has been freed.
The 1,312-foot, 200,000 metric ton Ever Given – nearly a quarter-mile long – had created shipping nightmare and captured the public's imagination when it blocked the canal on Tuesday. It's created a traffic jam of more than 300 ships as of Sunday and is costing billions in delayed shipments.
Officials had hoped to free the vessel by dredging tons of sand and using tugboats to push it free during a high tide but efforts on Friday and Saturday failed.
The massive container ship blocking the busy Suez Canal has been freed from the vital trade route in a last-ditch bid to take advantage of the king tide brought on by the supermoon.
The Ever Given was freed by salvage teams early on Monday, one week after running aground and choking off global trade, according to maritime services provider Inchcape.
'The MV Ever Given was successfully re-floated at 04:30,' Inchcape said in a tweet. 'She is being secured at the moment. More information about next steps will follow once they are known.'
The ship's bow was on the eastern bank and the stern is on the western. That means it's sagging in the middle, putting increased stress on the hull, which is made worse by tidal changes.
Officials say the hull is being inspected for cracks now that it has been freed.