Watch! Stuck 107 days.. “Ever Given” says FAREWELL to Suez Canal as universe monitors

The Ever Given started to head north in the late morning across the Great Bitter Lake, which separates two sections of the canal and where it had been moored with its Indian crew since being refloated on March 29.

It then joined the back of a northbound convoy, passing the site of a ceremony where the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and representatives for the ship signed the compensation settlement that allowed its release.

The ship was due to undergo a dive inspection of its hull in Port Said, at the northern end of the canal, before sailing to its next port to discharge cargo.By early evening, ship tracking data showed the Ever Given just north of the canal, off Port Said.

“May God let it arrive safely,” Medhat M Atyah and Mohamed Alsayed Aly, captains of a tug boat carrying reporters, said as the ship set off. “It is a beautiful thing … we are happy, of course.”

The 400-metre (1,310-foot) vessel is loaded with about 18,300 containers. Egyptian TV showed the captain and another crew member being presented with a bunch of flowers and a plaque on board the ship.

“We hope that these Indian seafarers come back to India very soon,” said R P Veetil, general secretary of the Sailors Union of India, adding that they exemplified crew who get stuck amid legal disputes.

The Ever Given became grounded on March 23 in the southernmost, single-lane stretch of the canal, one of the world’s busiest waterways, as high winds buffeted Egypt.

After being dislodged, it was held by the SCA under court order while the authority sought compensation from the ship’s Japanese owner Shoei Kisen and its insurers.

“We regret the impact that the voyage delay has had on those with cargo stuck onboard,” Shoei Kisen said in a statement.

“Throughout this matter, every effort has been made to minimise the delay and to secure the release of the vessel as quickly as possible.”