--- description: The Ever Given container ship stuck in the Suez Canal has been partly refloated, in the first step to clearing the vital trade artery. title: Huge Cargo Ship Blocking the Suez Canal Partly Freed image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt600b39f2b0c0c289/698a183b457a52a3aad65033/GettyImages-1231984439.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Egypt](/tag/egypt/) ## Egypt Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Cargo Ship Blocking the Suez Canal Is Now Partly Afloat, in the First Step to Clearing the Vital Waterway ## Video: The Cargo Ship Blocking the Suez Canal Is Now Partly Afloat, in the First Step to Clearing the Vital Waterway [Watch (HLS stream): The Cargo Ship Blocking the Suez Canal Is Now Partly Afloat, in the First Step to Clearing the Vital Waterway](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/p11HY0Ol.m3u8) (0:23)  _Published 2021-03-29. The Ever Given container ship stuck in the Suez Canal has been at least partly refloated. It’s the first step to clearing the blockage in one of the world’s most important trade arteries._ by [Salma El Wardany, Mirette Magdy, Fred Pals and Ann Koh / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Salma El Wardany, Mirette Magdy, Fred Pals and Ann Koh / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 3:53 PM CUTPublished: Mar 29, 2021 3:57 AM CUT  The container ship, the Ever Given, is seen at the Suez Canal on March 28, 2021 in Suez, Egypt. The container ship, the Ever Given, is seen at the Suez Canal on March 28, 2021 in Suez, Egypt.Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images by [Salma El Wardany, Mirette Magdy, Fred Pals and Ann Koh / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Salma El Wardany, Mirette Magdy, Fred Pals and Ann Koh / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 3:53 PM CUTPublished: Mar 29, 2021 3:57 AM CUT (Bloomberg) — The Ever Given container ship stuck in the Suez Canal has been at least partly refloated, but maneuvers will continue this morning around high tide. It’s the first step to clearing the blockage in one of the world’s most important trade arteries. While the Suez Canal Authority said the ship had been successfully refloated around 4:30 a.m. local time, the head of the company that’s a key part of the rescue mission said it was still too early to celebrate. “We need to be realistic and that is that the stem of the ship is still very much stuck,” said Peter Berdowski, chief executive officer of Boskalis Westminster, the parent company of the salvage team. “Putting the rear end of the ship afloat was the easy part,” he said to Dutch NPO Radio on Wednesday. “The challenging part will be the front of the ship. Now, we will start working at the front.” More than 450 ships have been stuck, waiting or en route to the canal. The backlog is one more strain for global supply chains already stretched by the pandemic as the canal is a conduit for about 12% of global trade. Some ships have already opted for the long and expensive trip around the southern tip of Africa instead of Suez. Oil prices retreated, with Brent crude falling around 1.5% to $63.60 a barrel. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5950702/ship-blocking-suez-canal-free/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5950702/ship-blocking-suez-canal-free/"},"headline":"The Cargo Ship Blocking the Suez Canal Is Now Partly Afloat, in the First Step to Clearing the Vital Waterway","datePublished":"2021-03-29T03:57:11.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T15:53:26.000Z","description":"But it isn’t immediately clear how soon the vital waterway will be open to traffic","url":"https://time.com/5950702/ship-blocking-suez-canal-free/","keywords":["Egypt","wire","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt600b39f2b0c0c289/698a183b457a52a3aad65033/GettyImages-1231984439.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Salma El Wardany, Mirette Magdy, Fred Pals and Ann Koh / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt600b39f2b0c0c289/698a183b457a52a3aad65033/GettyImages-1231984439.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Work Continues To Free Container Ship Stuck In Suez Canal","caption":"Work Continues To Free Container Ship Stuck In Suez Canal","creditText":"Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/egypt/","name":"Egypt"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5950702/ship-blocking-suez-canal-free/","name":"The Cargo Ship Blocking the Suez Canal Is Now Partly Afloat, in the First Step to Clearing the Vital Waterway"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Cargo Ship Blocking the Suez Canal Is Now Partly Afloat, in the First Step to Clearing the Vital Waterway","description":"The Ever Given container ship stuck in the Suez Canal has been at least partly refloated. 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