Probe underway, day after cargo ship freed in Suez Canal

SUEZ, Egypt (AP) — Experts on Tuesday boarded a colossal container ship that had been stuck for nearly a week in the Suez Canal before it was freed as questions swirled about the grounding that had shaken the global shipping industry and clogged one of the world's most vital waterways.

The Ever Given was anchored in the Great Bitter Lake, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south ends of the canal, after salvage teams succeeded in finally freeing the skyscraper-size vessel on Monday afternoon. The ship, stuck sideways in a narrow stretch of the canal, had halted billions of dollars a day in maritime commerce.

A senior canal pilot, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists, told The Associated Press the experts were looking for signs of possible damage and trying to determine the cause of the vessel's grounding.

Engineers were examining the engines of the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned ship hauling goods from Asia to Europe to determine when exactly it can sail to its destination in the Netherlands, he said without elaborating.

Ships stacked with containers could be seen from the city of Suez, sailing in the north-bound part of the waterway. Suez Canal service provider Leth Agencies said that over three dozen vessels that had waited for Ever Given to be freed, have already exited the canal into the Red Sea since the waterway was reopened for navigation at 6 p.m. on Monday.

The shipowner, Shoei Kisen, said Tuesday that it will be part of the investigation, which would also include other parties, though it did not identify them by name. It also refused to discuss possible causes of the accident, including the alleged high speed and other errors, saying that it cannot comment on the investigation that is still going on.

The company added that any damage...