Ship Blocking Suez Canal Moves Slightly, Unclear When It Will Refloat

About 15% of world shipping traffic transits the canal and hundreds of vessels are waiting to pass once the blockage has been cleared.

Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move, but it remains unclear when it can be refloated, the head of the canal authority said on Saturday. The 400 metre (430 yard) long Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal amid high winds early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world's busiest waterways. About 15% of world shipping traffic transits the canal and hundreds of vessels are waiting to pass once the blockage has been cleared. Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Chairman Osama Rabie said he hoped it would not be necessary to remove some of the 18,300 containers to lighten the ship's load, but that strong tides and winds were complicating efforts to free it.