Suez Canal ship Ever Given freed, traffic resumes in crucial shipping channel

The colossal container ship Ever Given that has blocked the Suez Canal since last Tuesday is on the move again after being refloated.

The ship, which is about as long as the Empire State Building is tall, was freed and traffic is resuming in the channel, Suez Canal Authority chairman Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie said Monday, according to Reuters.

The ship, which is about as long as the Empire State Building is tall, was freed and traffic is resuming in the channel, Suez Canal Authority chairman Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie said Monday, according to Reuters.

Leth Agencies said early Monday that the breakthrough came after intensive efforts to push and pull the ship with 10 tugboats and vacuum up sand with several dredgers at spring tide.

Satellite data from VesselFinder.com showed the ship moving through the canal at just over two knots Monday morning.

The blockage held up $9 billion in global trade each day, bringing disruption to the vital waterway.

Hundreds of vessels remained trapped in the canal waiting to pass, carrying everything from crude oil to cattle. Over two dozen vessels have opted for the alternative route between Asia and Europe around the Cape of Good Hope, adding some two weeks to journeys and threatening delivery delays.