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In pictures: Container ship blocking the Suez Canal finally on the move

News imageEPA Workers next to the Ever Given. 24 March 2021EPA
The huge container ship is four football fields long

After almost a week blocking the Suez Canal, a 400m-long (1,300ft) container ship is finally on the move again.

The Ever Given, operated by Evergreen Marine Corp, became stuck last Tuesday during a sandstorm.

For days it was lodged diagonally on one of the world's key shipping lanes, causing traffic to build up and other ships to be rerouted.

But now, after an operation involving tug boats and dredging, the vessel is fully refloated and heading north.

News imageEPA The Suez Canal blocked by the large container ship Ever GivenEPA
The Ever Given became stuck a week ago, wedging itself diagonally across the canal
News imageEPA Suez Canal Authority officials visit the stranded shipEPA
Officials from the Suez Canal Authority visited the stranded ship last week to work out a rescue plan
News imageEPA Tugs try to move the Ever GivenEPA
Tug boats were deployed to shift the 200,000-tonne vessel
News imageEPA A ship dredgesEPA
Dredgers cleared approximately 30,000 cubic metres of sand from around the ship's hull
News imageEPA A tug tries to pull the Ever Given clear from the bank of the Suez Canal (25 March 2021)EPA
Nearly 400 other vessels became stuck in a queue behind the ship
News imageAFP The container ship the Ever Given is seen after being dislodged from the Suez CanalAFP
On Monday, after days of effort, the ship was at last dislodged
News imageReuters Onlookers watch as a container ship stuck for days in the Suez Canal resumes its travelReuters
The Ever Given continued its passage north
News imageGetty Images File image of cargo ships transits the Suez Canal near Ismailia, EgyptGetty Images
Last year the Suez Canal was used by an average of 51.5 ships per day
News imageGetty Images Ship passes under a bridge on the Suez Canal in 2017Getty Images
The Suez Canal, pictured here in 2017, is 193km (120 miles) long and incorporates three natural lakes

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