3.5 days to clear Suez tailback once ship refloated: Suez Canal Authority chief

A view shows the container ship Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, after it was partially refloated, in Suez Canal. Credit: Reuters photo.

Once the container ship blocking the Suez Canal is refloated it will take three and a half days to clear a traffic jam of hundreds of vessels, Egyptian authorities said Monday.

"The canal will be functioning 24 hours per day immediately after the ship has been refloated," Suez Canal Authority chief Osama Rabie told Egyptian TV. It will then take "around three and a half days" to clear the backlog, he said.