The grounded 20,000 TEU container vessel Ever Given was refloated by the salvage team from Boskalis subsidiary Smit Salvage.
The 400m-long, nearly 60m-wide vessel had been wedged in the busy shipping route since 23rd March, blocking all shipping traffic.
Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski said: “Shortly following the grounding of the Ever Given we were requested through SMIT Salvage to provide assistance with the salvage operation. I am excited to announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority, successfully refloated the Ever Given on 29 March at 15:05 hrs local time, thereby making free passage through the Suez Canal possible again. I’m extremely proud of the outstanding job done by the team on site as well as the many SMIT Salvage and Boskalis colleagues back home to complete this challenging operation under the watchful eye of the world. The time pressure to complete this operation was evident and unprecedented and the result is a true display of our unique capabilities as a dredging and marine services provider.”
Approximately 30,000m3 of sand were dredged to help free the vessel and a total of 11 harbour tugs and two powerful seagoing tugs - Alp Guard and Carlo Magna - were deployed. The vessel has been towed to a location outside the channel for further inspection.
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