The Suez Canal is open again after the giant ship that had blocked it for a week is free. The 220,000-ton Ever Given container ship got wedged between the sides of the canal last week. A blockage followed that disrupted global trade and international markets. Analysts say it has cost Egypt $100 million in lost revenue. The jam means there is a backlog of 450 ships waiting to go through the canal. They are anchored in the Red Sea and Mediterranean near the ends of the canal. Authorities will try and double the daily average of 50 ships to pass through the channel.
There has been a huge effort over the past week to free the 400-metre-long ship. Dredgers cleared sand underneath it in an attempt to refloat it. Around 30 tug boats worked to pull it away from the canal's banks. They were helped by a high tide during the salvage operation. Egypt's president thanked everyone in the effort to refloat the ship. He said the refloating was a "massive technical complexity". He added: "The world can now rest assured about the passage of goods through this pivotal shipping route. Egyptians today proved that they are always up to the challenge."