Tug boats honked their horns in celebration as the 400m-long (1,300ft) Ever Given was dislodged on Monday with the help of dredgers and tug boats.
Hundreds of ships are waiting to pass through the canal which links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea via Egypt.
It is one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch salvage company Boskalis, said the Ever Given had been refloated at 15:05 (13:05 GMT) on Monday, “thereby making free passage through the Suez Canal possible again”.
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi thanked Egyptians for their efforts in “ending the crisis” in the canal.
Now the authorities will have to address another challenge – congestion. The head of the Suez Canal Authority said that hundreds of stranded vessels would be allowed through the canal on a first-come-first-served basis, though there might be some exceptions to specific ships, based on the types of goods on board.
The blockage put the authorities under immense pressure, given the major impact it had on global trade. For Egyptians, the canal is not only a source of national pride, but it also provides the economy with much needed foreign currency.
A couple of days ago, I asked Osama Rabie, the head of the Suez Canal Authority, whether he was concerned that some shipping companies might be discouraged from sending such giant ships through the canal in the future. He replied that there was no alternative to the Suez Canal, which he said was fast and safe. So, it’s not just about time here, but also about security.
Source BBC News Service
Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait
