Container ship stuck in Suez Canal refloated

The incident caused temporary suspension of navigation in the man-made canal, keeping at least 321 ships in wait.

Dutch firm Boskalis with its emergency response team Smit Salvage was hired by Ever Given's owner to assist the SCA in the rescue operations.

Linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, the Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global seaborne trade since it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 km.

Some 12 percent of the world trade volume passes through the Suez Canal.