Ever Given arrives in Rotterdam months after Suez Canal blockage

The Hague, Jul 29 (EFE).- The Ever Given reached the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Thursday, more than four months after it blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week and caused multi-million-dollar losses in maritime trade.

The Panama-flagged ship that carries some 18,000 containers was assisted early on the day by tugboats while docking at the delta terminal of the port, from where it is due to set sail to Felixstowe, England on August 3.

The mega container ran aground during a sandstorm on March 23 and blocked the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. It was dislodged on March 29.

A report issued by Euler Hermes insurance company estimated that blocking the vital waterway could have cost global trade between $6 billion and $10 billion a day.

During the salvage operation, one of the participants died, a motorboat sank and some 48 vessels were forced to change routes.

The ship left Egyptian waters earlier this month, ending a three-month stand-off following a confidential compensation deal between the Egyptian authorities and the ship’s owner.