Megaship that blocked Suez Canal returns for another go

A huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for six days has made another attempt to cross one of the world's busiest waterways.

The Panama-flagged MV Ever Given arrived at Egypt's Port Said on Thursday night. On Friday, the 220,000-tonne vessel began its journey through the canal, accompanied by two tug boats, according to Egyptian state media.

Ship-tracking data seen by The New Arab showed the ship navigating the middle section of its journey towards the Red Sea.

Earlier this month, the Ever Given docked at the English port of Felixstowe following months of wrangling between Egyptian authorities and the vessel’s Japanese owners, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, over compensation for the financial cost of the blockage.

Cairo had demanded $916 million for lost canal revenues, salvage costs and damage to the canal, a vital artery connecting Asia to Europe that carries a tenth of the world’ shipping trade.

The six-day ordeal caused a backlog totalling 420 vessels at the north and south ends of the canal before it was re-floated on March 29.

But Egypt seized the ship until June, when it announced that a deal had been reached with Shoei Kisen Kaisha to release it, without disclosing the amount of compensation to be paid.