Hoek van Holland (Netherlands) (AFP)

The giant container ship Ever Given finally arrived in Rotterdam on Thursday, four months after blocking the Suez Canal, a crossing point for around 10% of world trade.

The 400-meter vessel with a capacity of 200,000 tonnes entered the European port at around 3:00 GMT, an AFP journalist noted.

“It was a great relief to see him and a special moment,” said Hans Nagtegaal, Container Manager at the Port of Rotterdam.

"Finally, we can do the unloading job and hopefully get it back to a normal boating routine," he told AFP.

The Ever Given will remain in Rotterdam until Monday, when it weighs anchor for its trip to Felixstowe, UK, before sailing to a dry dock in Dunkirk, France, where it will undergo further examinations. , explained Nagtegaal.

The giant ship, which had blocked the Suez Canal for six days at the end of March, finally got back on the road three weeks ago after 100 days of immobilization and the signing of a confidential compensation agreement between the Egyptian authorities and the Japanese owner of the vessel.

The container ship had recessed its bow into the east side of the waterway on March 23, getting in the way of the canal and blocking all traffic on the crucial seaway.

The clearance operations lasted six days and required more than ten tugs, as well as dredges to dig the bottom of the canal.

The Ever Given was then directed to the great Amer Lake, in the center of the canal, by the Egyptian authorities who demanded compensation from the shipowner, for the loss of earnings during the incident, the cost of the rescue or the damage to the canal.

Cairo had initially claimed 916 million dollars (about 767 million euros), before revising its claims downwards to 600 then to 550 million dollars, but the final amount is the subject of tough negotiations.

According to the SCA, Egypt lost $ 12 million to $ 15 million per day of closure.

In April, maritime data company Lloyd's List estimated that the blockade of the Suez Canal prevented the passage of cargoes estimated at $ 9.6 billion (€ 8 billion) between Asia and Europe on a daily basis. .

© 2021 AFP