ISMAILIA, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian authorities have announced the release of a hulking shipping vessel that had blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week earlier this year. The Ever Given is leaving the region after its Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., reached a settlement with canal authorities over a compensation amount, following more than three months of negotiations and a court standoff. The settlement deal was signed in a ceremony Wednesday in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, after which the vessel was seen sailing toward the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel ran aground in March, blocking the waterway for six days. It had been since held amid a financial dispute.
