Video: Crew celebrate after partial refloat of ship blocking Suez Canal

Crew members can be heard praising God and flashing thumbs-up signs after freeing the Ever Given.

Cheers of celebrations went up in the moments after a container ship stranded in the Suez Canal was partially refloated on Monday.

Multiple videos are doing the rounds on social media showing crew aboard tugboats cheering the progress of the Ever Given, which had been blocking the Suez Canal and was partially re-floated on Monday after six days of intensive efforts.

Egyptian crew aboard one of the 10 tugboats tasked with freeing the ship can be heard in the background of the video, loudly thanking God by shouting “God is great”, while several boats honk for joy.

Another video shows a captain aboard a tugboat, smiling and flashing the camera a thumbs up, saying, “Thank God, well done boys!”

As of Monday, the Ever Given has been partially re-floated and has started its engines, raising hopes the busy waterway will soon be reopened.

At least 369 vessels were waiting to transit the canal, including dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels, SCA Chairman Osama Rabie told Egypt’s Extra News on Sunday.

• Egypt