A massive boat which caused one of the biggest shipping traffic jams in history has finally arrived in the UK.

Container vessel Ever Given became stuck in the Suez Canal – an important shipping lane in Egypt – for six days in March and caused mass disruption to world trade.

And it docked in the Port of Felixstowe, the UK’s biggest shipping port, yesterday – four months later than planned.

Dozens of people gathered along the banks in Suffolk to see the boat pull in around 4.30pm.

Ship spotter Dean Cable, from north Suffolk, waited for more than eight hours to see the Ever Given, which is operated by shipping company Evergreen.

‘This ship is all over the news and everyone wants to see it,’ he said.

‘I have been tracking it since it left Malaysia because it was on its way to Felixstowe and I just could not believe it when it got stuck in the Suez Canal.

‘My first thought was, “What went wrong?” and my second thought was unprintable.

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‘I am wondering if it was the fault of the canal authority for letting it go too quick, but I don’t think the operators of the ship will ever live it down.

‘Luckily the way it came into Felixstowe was a textbook job. Nothing went wrong at all and I am glad that everything on the ship will now get to everyone who has been waiting for it.’

NHS healthcare assistant Lola Jarvis, 32 and of Saxmundham, watched the ship arrive with her 10-year-old son Charlie.

She said: ‘We have been coming here a lot during the lockdowns to see the ships and we didn’t want to miss this one.

‘It is always impressive to see them and there has been a lot of hype about the Ever Given.

‘I know a lot of people have got stuff stuck on there so I am glad that it is here at last.’

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The 1,300-foot ship, which carries cargo between Asia and Europe, was heading for Rotterdam when it got wedged into the sandy bank of a narrow section of the canal on March 23.

It is thought high winds caused the cargo ship to suddenly turn sideways around 3.7 miles north of the canal’s southern mouth, near the city of Suez.

Teams of dredgers and diggers were sent in to vacuum up sand and mud from the Ever Given’s enormous bow, while 10 tug boats pushed and pulled the vessel for days.

The chaos and backlog meant hundreds of ships were delayed in their journeys, and some were forced to take the much longer route around the southern tip of Africa.

After it was freed the boat was held by the Egyptian authorities for more than three months amid a financial dispute over compensation.

But an agreement was struck between its Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd, and the canal authorities so it could continue its journey.

The Suez Canal opened in 1869 and provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo being shipped from East to West.

Around 10% of the world’s trade flows through the waterway and it remains one of Egypt’s top foreign currency earners.

The cargo remaining on the ship is said to range from barbecues and sun loungers to swimwear, lawnmowers and camping equipment.

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