Container ship Ever Given has arrived at Qingdao, China. Here, the ship will undergo repairs for the damage it suffered while blocking the Suez Canal back in March. It is expected it will be at least three weeks before the ship sets sail again.
This was reported by Chinese news agency XinhuaNet.
The 20,000 TEU Ever Given became world famous in March when it grounded in the Suez Canal in a sandstorm. It took about a week before the ship could be refloated. In that time, a traffic jam of hundreds of ships ensued and worldwide trade was disrupted.
After the Ever Given was freed, the ship was detained by the Egyptian authorities for months. During that time, the owner Shoei Kisen and the Suez Canal Authority were in dispute about compensation. It is unclear exactly how much was paid, but it was rumoured to be 540 million dollars and a new tugboat.
Only when an agreement was reached about the payment of compensation to the canal authority was the Ever Given allowed to leave. The container ship left the Suez Canal at the beginning of July. The vessel then anchored for several days near the port of Port Saïd to prepare for its journey to be resumed. The Ever Given finally arrived in Rotterdam on 29 July.
Also read: Container ship Ever Given finally arrives in Rotterdam
The repairs will be carried out at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. The ship suffered most damage to its bow.
Picture by the Suez Canal Authority.
