Ever Given: Ship that blocked Suez Canal leaves Felixstowe

The ship left Felixstowe after 2,000 containers were unloaded by crane

The huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal has left the UK and is heading for Germany.

The Ever Given docked at Felixstowe, Suffolk, at 16:30 BST on Tuesday, its first UK visit since causing disruption to global shipping.

Operated by Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine, the ship was originally due to arrive in early April.

The 400m-long (1,300ft) vessel left in the early hours of Thursday after 2,000 containers were unloaded by crane.

Its next destination is Hamburg.

The ship, operated by Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine, was originally due to arrive in the UK in early April

The container ship, which carries cargo between Asia and Europe, had blocked the major shipping lane in Egypt for almost a week in March, with some vessels forced to take the much longer route around the southern tip of Africa.

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When it was finally freed it was held up again until an agreement between Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd, and canal authorities was reached over compensation.

The 400m-long (1,300ft) vessel's next destination is Hamburg

The bulk of its 18,000 containers were offloaded at Rotterdam prior to its journey to Felixstowe.

Dozens of ship-spotters lined the beach to watch it arrive at on the Suffolk coast.