Container ship Ever Given crosses Suez Canal for return trip

FILE PIC: Rescue vessels work at the site of the grounded container ship Ever Given on the Suez Canal, Egypt, March 28, 2021. /Xinhua

The Panamanian-flagged and Japanese-owned ship Ever Given on Friday crossed the Suez Canal for the first time since it blocked the waterway for six days in March, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement.

"The 400-metre, 220,000-ton container ship that was docked at the UK port of Felixstowe, has returned to Port Said on Thursday night," the statement.

"Accompanied by two tug boats and most professional guides, all security measures were taken to ensure the safe crossing of the ship," the SCA said.

The ship ran aground in Egypt's Suez Canal and jammed global shipping traffic for nearly a week until it was refloated on March 29 by a fleet of Egyptian tugboats and diggers.

The ship was seized for more than three months until the SAC and ship owner reached a deal in July allowing the vessel to leave Egyptian waters.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency