Adds confirmation from Suez Canal Authority, details of vessel queue
The stricken container vessel Ever Given has been refloated and navigation through the Suez Canal will resume once the ship is moved to a waiting area, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.
The vessel was successfully refloated by tugs earlier today and its stern is now 102m away from the canal bank compared with 4m previously, the SCA said. Manoeuvres will resume when the water level in the canal rises to its maximum height at around 11.30am local time (09:30 GMT), which should allow the vessel's course to be completely modified, it said.
Navigation through the waterway will be able to resume after the vessel is fully floated and moved to the Lakes area of the canal, the SCA said. It did not give an estimate of how long that would take.
The Ever Given, which has been blocking the Suez Canal for the past six days, was "successfully refloated at 4.30am" local time today, agency Inchcape Shipping said. Other shipping agencies including Leth Agencies and Wilhelmsen also reported that the container ship had been refloated.
Data from vessel tracker Fleetmon showed the container ship being moved to the east side of the canal. Its bow appeared to still be in contact with the bank, with its stern roughly halfway across the waterway as of 8am local time.
There were 367 vessels awaiting transit through the canal early today, Leth Agencies said. These include 35 crude tankers, 14 product tankers, 98 bulk carriers, 26 chemical tankers, 16 LNG and 10 LPG carriers.
