Suez Canal traffic jam clears, a week after grounded 'Ever Given' freed

The last 61 ships, of 422 that were backed up, passed through the waterway on Saturday

This satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies shows a close up overview of the MV Ever Given container ship and tugboats in the Suez Canal. AFP / Maxar Technologies

The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61), left, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) sail behind the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during a Suez Canal transit, in this picture taken April 2, 2021 and released by U.S. Navy. Reuters

In this photo released by Suez Canal Authority, the Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is pulled by one of the Suez Canal tugboats, in the Suez Canal, Egypt. AP Photo

A spectator waves as the Ever Given container ship moves along the Suez Canal towards Ismailia after being freed from the canal bank in Suez, Egypt. Bloomberg

A man waves at the Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' container ship as it is tugged in Egypt's Suez Canal after it was fully dislodged from the banks, near Suez city. AFP

A view shows Ever Given container ship in Suez Canal in this Maxar Technologies satellite image. Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters

A handout photograph made available by the Suez Canal Authority shows the Ever Given container ship after it was refloated in the Suez Canal, Egypt. EPA

A handout photograph made available by the Suez Canal Authority shows the Ever Given container ship after it was refloated in the Suez Canal, Egypt. The head of the Suez Canal Authority announced on 29 March that the large container ship, which ran aground in the Suez Canal on 23 March, is now free floating after responding to the pulling maneuvers. EPA

People watch Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, that has been stuck sideways and blocked traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal, move past after it was set free by salvage teams. AP Photo

People watch as the container ship 'Ever Given' is refloated, unblocking the Suez Canal in Suez, Egypt. This morning the container ship came partly unstuck from the shoreline, where it ran aground in the canal last Tuesday, and later resumed its course shortly after 3pm local time. Getty Images

A view of the Panama-flagged MV 'Ever Given' (operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine) container ship, a 400-metre- (1,300-foot-)long and 59-metre wide vessel, as it remains lodged sideways impeding traffic across Egypt's Suez Canal waterway. AFP

Ship Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, is seen after it was fully floated in Suez Canal, Egypt. Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Reuters

The container ship 'Ever Given' is refloated, unblocking the Suez Canal in Suez, Egypt. This morning the container ship came partly unstuck from the shoreline, where it ran aground in the canal last Tuesday, and later resumed its course shortly after 3pm local time. Getty Images

The container ship 'Ever Given' is moving in the Suez Canal, Egypt. The Suez Canal Authority on 29 March said that traffic is to resume after the large container ship 'Ever Given' was refloated. EPA

The last of the ships stuck by the grounding of the giant container ship Ever Given passed through the Suez Canal on Saturday.

It ended a backlog that started building up on March 23.

The last 61 of 422 ships that had joined the queue by the time the vessel was dislodged last Monday passed through the vital trade artery, the Suez Canal Authority said.

International supply chains were thrown into disarray when the 400-metre Ever Given ran aground in the canal.

Specialist rescue teams took almost a week to free her after extensive dredging and repeated tugging operations.

In total, 85 ships had been due to pass through the canal on Saturday including 24 ships that arrived after the Ever Given was dislodged, the SCA said.

Egypt said it may seek about $1 billion in compensation for losses incurred during the stoppage.

The figure is an estimate of lost revenue linked to transit fees, damages incurred during the dredging and salvage efforts and the cost of the equipment and labour, Suez Canal Authority chairman Admiral Osama Rabie told local television channel Sada Elbalad.

He did not specify from whom the authority would seek compensation.

“This is the country's right,” Admiral Rabie said.

The incident, he said, hurt Egypt’s reputation.

“This country should get its due.”

An investigation by the canal authority began on Wednesday to look into what caused the vessel to run aground and block the waterway.

"The investigation is going well and will take two more days, then we will announce the results," Admiral Rabie said.

Two officials of the Suez Canal Authority accused the ship's captain of manoeuvring incorrectly, leading to the giant vessel getting stuck.

"The wrong manoeuvre coincided with a dust storm and strong winds. all of which led to the loss of visibility and the ship stranding, but the weather factors were not fully responsible for the accident," a canal official told the Italian news agency Nova.