Traffic jam eases further in Suez Canal after ship unblocked

The traffic jam on both ends of the Suez Canal eased further days after a skyscraper-sized containership had blocked the waterway.

The maritime traffic jam on both ends of the Suez Canal eased further on Friday, four days after the dislodging of a massive containership that had blocked the waterway, authorities said. On Monday, salvage teams freed the skyscraper-sized Ever Given, ending a crisis that had clogged one of the world's most vital waterways and halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce. At the time, canal officials said that more than 420 ships had been waiting for the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned ship to be freed so they could make the crossing. Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority said 80 cargo ships carrying carrying a total load of 4.7 tons transited through the canal on Friday, including the American aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.