Suez Canal traffic eases 4 days after Ever Given ship was unblocked

Four days after the dislodging of a massive container ship that had blocked the waterway, the marine traffic jam on both ends of the Suez Canal eased further on Friday. 

On Monday, salvage teams freed the skyscraper-sized Ever Given, putting an end to the crisis that had obstructed one of the world’s most crucial waterways and stopped billions of dollars a day in the maritime industry. Officials said that at that time more than 420 ships were waiting for the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned ship to be freed so they could cross the canal. 

Head of the Suez Canal Authority- Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie said that 80 cargo ships carrying a total load of 4.7 tons passed through the canal on Friday, including the American aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Canal services firm Leth Agencies said that earlier a total of 357 vessels crossed the Canal after the ship was re-floated by a flotilla of tugboats and tides. The company said that the number of vessels waiting to transit decreased from 300 earlier this week to 206 on Friday.

The Ever Given had crashed into a bank of a single-lane stretch of the Suez canal about3.7 miles north of the southern entrance. This blocked many ships from crossing the canal. 

The unusual shutdown raised fears of extended delays, goods shortages, and increased costs for consumers adding pressure on the shipping industry.