People watch on as workers try to refloat the stricken Ever Given in the Suez Canal. Picture: APThe stranded container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week was almost fully re-floated this morning and has restarted its engines, sources say, raising hopes the busy waterway will soon be reopened. The Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal in high winds early on Tuesday, halting shipping traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. The Suez Canal salvage teams intensified excavation and dredging on Sunday and were hoping a high tide would help them dislodge the ship. About 15pc of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal, which is a key source of foreign currency revenue for Egypt.

Source: Irish Independent March 29, 2021 06:00 UTC