Jubilation erupted when the 220,000-ton Ever Given was successfully straightened and refloated, freeing up the vital shipping route. It was then pulled further up the canal for inspection. The move will open the way for 450 backed-up ships and trade worth £7billion a day.
Following days of digging, a number of powerful tugboats managed to partially “correct” the course of the 1,300ft vessel by 80 per cent, according to the Suez Canal Authority.
It followed an early morning operation involving dredgers which sucked away huge sections of sand beneath the ship.
It is unclear how long it will now take to deal with the backlog caused by the blockage. Maersk, the world’s largest container firm, warned it could take six days or more for the jam to clear.
But it was hoped traffic could resume along the canal last night.
The Ever Given was towed to the Great Bitter Lake, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south end of the canal, where it was boarded by an inspection team.
News that the ship had finally been freed prompted global oil prices to fall by at one point.
The plunge was a sign that the pressure on global supply chains was set to ease.