World's largest container ship, MV Ever Given, that had blocked the Suez Canal in March set foot into the waterway for the first time since the incident on Friday. Ever Given, en-route to China from the United Kingdom, crossed the waterway from the South along with a convoy of 26 vessels from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement. In order to avoid an incident like the Suez canal crisis of March, a group of SCA senior pilots and two tugboats escorted the Ever Given throughout its journey through the canal.

(Credit: ©Maxar Technologies via AP)

Suez canal blocked

On 23 March, Ever Given was stranded sideways blocking Egypt’s key maritime route Suez Canal and halting the world’s supply of goods, cargoes, and oil tankers. Although the incident had sparked a hilarious series of memes, the Suez canal crisis had caused the world a trade loss worth billions of dollars. 

The Suez Canal Authority had slapped a $916.5 million claim against Japanese vessel owner Shoei Kisen placing the accountability of the crisis on him. The 1,300-foot container ship MV Ever Given was then seized by the Egyptian authorities and was not allowed to leave the anchorage of Great Bitter Lake until compensation for the Suez canal blockage was paid.

However, the Japanese company argued that the Panamanian flagged vessel veered off its course because the SCA had insisted that the ship was “good to enter” the waterway during the bad weather. Strong winds and sandstorms lodged the giant container ship at an angle across the waterway, according to them. After a 106-day legal battle, the container ship was finally allowed to leave Egypt on 7 July. An undisclosed settlement was reached upon by the SCA and the owners of Ever Given.

The Suez Canal opened in 1896 and more than 50 ships passed through it on average each day throughout 2020, according to the figures from the Suez Canal Authority. It is responsible for 15% of world shipping traffic transits and is the shortest route between Europe and Asia.

(With Agency Inputs)