Ship blocking Suez Canal partially freed

Engineers partly freed a wedged ship blocking the Suez Canal, and tug boats are now working to straighten its course, which could soon reopen the vital trade route and end days of global supply disruptions, foreign media reported.

Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, which operates the waterway, said Monday that tugs dislodged the bow of the 1,300-foot Ever Given, operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Group, from the eastern bank of the canal.

“We are not finished yet, but it has moved,” he said, adding that tugboats would continue for another hour or so to ensure the ship could resume moving up the canal.

A person involved in the effort said higher-than-usual spring tides were helping and the ship has moved around 25 yards. “We are getting there, but not there yet,” he said.