Suez Canal Authority working to free grounded ship

Historic sections of the canal are being opened in an attempt to unblock one of the world's busiest trade routes.

1 min read

24 March, 2021

A bottleneck of marine traffic has hit one of the world's busiest trade routes [Getty]

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority said Wednesday it was working to refloat a giant container ship that ran aground and blocked one of the world's busiest trade routes.

SCA chairman Admiral Osama Rabie said in a statement that "rescue and tug units are continuing their efforts" to free the MV Ever Given, adding that historic sections of the canal were being opened in a bid to ease the bottleneck of backed up marine traffic.

Photographs released by the SCA also showed excavators onshore digging soil from the canal's bank, the earth-moving equipment dwarfed by the giant 400-metre (1,300-foot) long hull towering above.

Read more: Massive container ship blocks Suez Canal

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