Ever Given container ship behind Suez Canal snafu finally sets sail three months later
Jessica Schladebeck
Ever Given, a massive container ship that snarled traffic in the Suez Canal for almost a week, has set sail nearly three months after it clogged one of the world’s most vital waterways.
The 1,300-foot-long vessel weighed anchor shortly after 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, witnesses told BBC News. It’s headed to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, a two-week journey that could take a bit longer given damage it sustained from the Suez Canal snafu earlier this year.
In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is pulled by one of the Suez Canal tugboats, in the Suez Canal, Egypt, Monday, March 29.
In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is pulled by one of the Suez Canal tugboats, in the Suez Canal, Egypt, Monday, March 29.
Back in March, the Ever Given ran aground in the vital passageway, causing a massive traffic jam, which ultimately disrupted global trade. Hundreds of vessels — carrying everything from cattle and clothes to furniture — became stuck on either side of the trapped ship until it was finally freed six days later.
Since then, Ever Given has been held in the canal’s Great Bitter Lake amid a legal battle between the Japanese ship owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, and the Suez Canal Authority.
The SCA initially filed a claim demanding a $916 million payment to cover the costs of the rescue operation, damages to the canal’s banks and lost revenues. However, the UK Club — which insured Shoei Kisen for third-party liabilities — went on to reject the claim, dismissing it as “extraordinarily large” and “largely unsupported.”
In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is pulled by tugboats, in the Suez Canal, Egypt on Monday, March 29, 2021. A canal service provider said Monday that workers have successfully set free the colossal container ship that for nearly a week has been stuck sideways across the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most crucial arteries for trade.
This satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc. shows the Ever Given cargo ship stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal on Monday, March 29, 2021. Engineers on Monday "partially refloated" the colossal container ship that continues to block traffic through the Suez Canal, authorities said, without providing further details about when the vessel would be set free.
In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is pulled by one of the Suez Canal tugboats, in the Suez Canal, Egypt on Monday, March 29, 2021.
In this photo released by the Suez Canal Authority, tug boats work to free the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned Ever Given, which is lodged across the Suez Canal, Sunday, March 28, 2021.
This photo released by the Suez Canal Authority shows tug boats and dredgers working to free the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned Ever Given, which is lodged across the Suez Canal, Sunday, March 28, 2021. Two additional tugboats are speeding to the canal to aid efforts to free the skyscraper-sized container ship wedged for days across the crucial waterway. That's even as major shippers increasingly divert their boats out of fear the vessel may take even longer to free.
In this photo released by the Suez Canal Authority, tug boats and dredgers work to free the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned Ever Given, which is lodged across the Suez Canal, Sunday, March 28, 2021.
This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Saturday, March 27, 2021. Authorities are preparing to make new attempts to free the giant container vessel stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal for the fifth day and reopen a crucial east-west waterway for global shipping.
An aerial view taken on March 27, 2021, from the porthole of a commercial plane shows stranded ships waiting in a queue in the Gulf of Suez to cross the Suez Canal at its southern entrance near the Red Sea port city of Suez, as the waterway remains blocked by the Panama-flagged container ship "MV Ever Given," which has remained wedged sideways about six kilometers north of the canal's entrance, impeding all flowing traffic since March 23.
This picture taken late on March 27, 2021, shows a view of tugboats by the Panama-flagged MV Ever Given (operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine) container ship, which has been wedged diagonally across the span of the canal about six kilometers north of the Suez Canal's entrance by the Red Sea port city of Suez since March 23, blocking the waterway in both directions.
An aerial view taken on March 27, 2021, from the porthole of a commercial plane shows stranded ships waiting in in the Gulf of Suez to cross the Suez Canal at its southern entrance near the Red Sea port city of Suez, as the waterway remains blocked by the Panama-flagged container ship "MV Ever Given."
Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship that is wedged across the Suez Canal and blocking traffic in the vital waterway, is seen Saturday, March 27, 2021. Tugboats and a specialized suction dredger worked to dislodge a giant container ship that has been stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal for the past three days, blocking a crucial waterway for global shipping.
This satellite image from Cnes2021, Distribution Airbus DS, shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Thursday, March 25, 2021. The skyscraper-sized cargo ship wedged across Egypt's Suez Canal further imperiled global shipping Thursday as at least 150 other vessels needing to pass through the crucial waterway idled waiting for the obstruction to clear, authorities said.
This photo released by the Suez Canal Authority on Thursday, March 25, 2021, shows the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, after it became wedged across the Suez Canal and blocking traffic in the vital waterway. An operation is underway to try to work free the ship, which further imperiled global shipping Thursday as at least 150 other vessels needing to pass through the crucial waterway idled waiting for the obstruction to clear.
In this photo released by the Suez Canal Authority, a cargo ship named the Ever Given sits with its bow stuck into the wall Wednesday, March 24, 2021, after it became wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal and blocked all traffic in the vital waterway. An Egyptian official warned Wednesday it could take at least two days to clear the ship.
This satellite image from Planet Labs Inc. shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Tuesday, March 23, 2021. A cargo container ship that's among the largest in the world has turned sideways and blocked all traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal, officials said Wednesday, March 24, 2021, threatening to disrupt a global shipping system already strained by the coronavirus pandemic.
The SCA later lowered its demand to $550 million.
The final payout amount remained unclear, but a preliminary deal was struck late last month with the SCA calling for about $200 million in compensation, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
Egyptian media reported the figure was significantly higher than the $200 million.
