The Ever Given containership stuck in the Suez Canal was finally pulled free, allowing the crucial trade route to reopen to traffic.
The vessel is now fully afloat, the Suez Canal Authority said in a statement. The ship was moving north from where it was grounded, according to ship-tracking data and television footage.
The breakthrough paves the way to untangle the gridlock at the canal, where more than 450 vessels are waiting to pass through the vital trade artery that is a conduit for about 12% of global trade.
Automakers and suppliers expect their supply chains to be impacted after the canal’s closure halted the flow of goods through the shortest sea link between Europe and Asia. Audi said the blockage could affect deliveries of finished cars and supplies of materials that area already en route to their destinations.
The vessels waiting to transit the canal include dozens of containerships, bulk carriers, oil tankers and liquefied natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas vessels, Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie said.
The authority has said it can accelerate convoys through the canal now that the Ever Given has been freed.
The backlog has strained global supply chains already stretched by the pandemic.
Reuters contributed to this report.
