The huge ship that blockaded the Suez Canal in Egypt, the Ever Given, has been freed. It was stuck for more than 1 week, which stopped ships from going through the canal. The ship went to the Great Bitter Lake, and is now going to get checked for any technical problems. The Ever Given is around 220,000 tons, and can hold up to 20,000 containers of items. It is more than 1,300 feet, and almost as long as the Empire State Building’s height. The ship became stuck last Tuesday, March 23. Around $9 billion worth of materials and goods go through the canal per day, which is about $140 million per hour.
More than 10 boats were trying to free the huge ship. Lots of sand and mud was removed – more than 20,000 tons of it! Because the ship was stuck in the last week, some ships took the long way around Africa, which took around a week longer, and increased fuel costs. When the Ever Given was freed, the ships that were stuck in the canal started going again.
