Six days after blocking one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, the Ever Given is no longer grounded, authorities have stated.
As reported by The Independent, the Suez Canal Authority has confirmed in a statement that the skyscraper-sized ship was now fully floated on Monday (March 29), meaning traffic through the Suez Canal will resume.
Leth Agencies, a service firm for the Suez Canal, also confirmed the news on Twitter, writing: "It is with utmost pleasure that we can confirm that the #Suez Canal Authority and staff have succeeded in re-floating M/V EVER GIVEN. She is currently underway to Great Bitter Lake. More information will follow on our profile.
"M/V EVER GIVEN is no longer #grounded."
In a statement, Peter Berdowski - head of the salvage firm hired to free the Ever Given - said: "We pulled it off!"
The CEO of Boskalis added: "I am excited to announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority, successfully refloated the Ever Given … thereby making free passage through the Suez Canal possible again."
As reported by the Associated Press, a video released by the Suez Canal Authority showed the Ever Given being escorted by the tugboats that had worked to free it - each blasting their horns in celebration after nearly a week of rescue efforts.
A time period has not been given on when traffic through the canal will resume.
The Ever Given, operated by the Taiwanese company Evergreen Marine, became stuck in the Egyptian waterway on Tuesday, March 23, blocking one of the world's most vital shipping routes.
After running aground on the canal's banks at 7:40AM local time on Tuesday, the 200-foot-wide and 1300-foot-long vessel blocked the entire width of the channel.
CNBC later reported that the shipping data and news company Lloyd’s List had estimated that the blockage was holding up $400 million an hour in trade (based on the approximate value of goods that are moved through the Suez Canal every day).
Despite the monumental cost, the trading crisis did, at least, give the world a laugh with memes:
According to canal authorities, over 19,000 ships passed through last year, carrying 10% of global trade, including 7% of the world’s oil.