A giant container ship remained wedged sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal for a fifth day despite having moved for the first time since it got stuck yesterday afternoon.
The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground on Tuesday in the narrow canal that runs between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
The massive vessel got stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal, about four miles north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.
© Suez Canal Authority/PA Wire
© MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES HANDOUT/EPA-EYesterday it was reported that the vessel had moved slightly for the first time, but had not been dislodged.
Plans were in place to pump water from interior spaces of the vessel, and two more tugs were set to arrive to join others.
Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, the head of the canal authority, told reporters that it could not lay out a set timetable for when the ship might be dislodged.
He said he remained hopeful that a dredging operation could free the Ever Given without having to resort to removing its cargo to lighten it.
© Marine TrafficA maritime traffic jam grew to around 321 vessels near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea and in the canal system on Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake.
Some vessels may instead sail around Africa, but they face an increased risk from pirates if they do so.
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