Container ship stuck in Suez Canal 'partly moved' away from shore

Container ship stuck in Suez Canal 'partly moved' away from shore
The massive container ship stuck in the Suez Canal for nearly a week has been "partly moved" but is "still aground", according to a canal services firm.

Comparable in size to a sky-scraper, the ship ran aground in the canal last Tuesday and has held up €7.6 billion in global trade daily.

Efforts to move the ship, with its bow stuck in the Suez Canal's eastern bank, have so far failed to free it as a total of 367 vessels wait in the canal area.

But canal services firm Leth Agencies said early on Monday that it was "partially re-floated" after efforts to push and pull the ship with 10 tugboats.

Another attempt to re-float the ship has been scheduled for 12:00 pm today. The ship's course was "significantly modified by 80%" with the stern of the ship 102 metres away from the shore, the firm said on Monday.

"This morning's efforts and progression come after a coordinated operation of tugs and dredgers," the Leth Agencies said in an earlier statement. The plan was to expand drilling in the area where the bow is stuck.

"Removing the sides of the Canal in that area, and bring it to a depth of 18 metres, would facilitate the floatation of the ship," the firm continued.

Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei, the head of the Suez Canal Authority, said workers continued “pulling manoeuvers” to re-float the vessel, according to AP.

Satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed the ship in the same position, surrounded by tugboats with its bow stuck in the canal's eastern bank.

Hundreds of vessels remain trapped in the Suez Canal carrying everything from crude oil to cattle.

More than two dozen vessels have chosen to take an alternative route between Asia and Europe, travelling around the Cape of Good Hope. The route adds two weeks to these vessels' journeys.


euronews.com​​​

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