The ship that blocked the Suez Canal has finally reached its destination | The container ship “Ever Given” has arrived in Rotterdam

the The giant container ship “Ever Given” finally arrived in Rotterdam on Thursday, four months after blocking the Suez Canal, the crossing point for about 10 percent of world trade. The 400-meter vessel with a capacity of 200,000 tonnes entered the European port at around 3 a.m. local time.

“It was a great relief to see him and a special moment,” said Hans Nagtegaal, Container Manager for the Port of Rotterdam. “Finally, we can do the unloading work and hopefully make it part of a normal navigation routine,” he added.

The “Ever Given” will remain in the Dutch town until Monday, when it sets sail for Felixstowe, UK, before heading to a dry dock in Dunkirk, France, where It will undergo further testing, Nagtegaal explained.

The giant ship, which had blocked the Suez Canal for six days at the end of March, finally left three weeks ago, after 100 days of immobilization and the signing of a confidential compensation agreement between the Egyptian authorities and the Japanese owner of the vessel. ship.

The container ship had moored its bow on the east side of the waterway on March 23 passing through the canal and blocking all traffic on the crucial seaway. Withdrawal operations lasted six days and required more than a dozen tugs, as well as dredges to dig the bottom of the canal.

The “Ever Given” is then directed towards the large Amer lake, in the center of the canal, by the Egyptian authorities, who demanded compensation from the shipowner for the loss of earnings during the incident, the cost of the rescue and the damage caused to the canal.

Cairo first requested $ 916 million, before revising the figure to 600, then 550 million, but the final amount is the subject of tough negotiations.

According to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), Egypt lost between $ 12 million and $ 15 million per closing day. In April, shipping data company Lloyd’s List estimated that the Suez Canal blockade was blocking the passage of cargoes estimated at $ 9.6 billion every day between Asia and Europe.