These photos of the dry-docked Ever Given reveal the damage it suffered after blocking the Suez Canal

• The world’s most famous container ship is back after blocking the Suez Canal in March.
• The Ever Given dry-docked in China for repairs – its 6-day saga took a toll on the ship’s exterior.
• One expert said its bow will be replaced with a “whole new lower bow section” already prepared.

The massive Ever Given container ship known for blocking the Suez Canal in March was spotted in Qingdao, China, as it underwent repairs.

Photos released in October reveal how six days inside the canal destroyed the ship’s bow.

The damage is so extensive that there’s a “whole new lower bow section in the yard prepared,” according to Dr. Salvatore R. Mercogliano, an associate professor of history at Campbell University and adjunct professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

“They will cut out that entire area and replace it with the new one they have fabricated,” he said in a tweet.

-Sal Mercogliano 🚢⚓🧭🐪🚒🏴‍☠️ (@mercoglianos) November 2, 2021

More than 1 million cubic feet of sand and mud were removed from around the ship as workers worked round-the-clock to dislodge both the bow and stern back in March. One Twitter user compared the damaged “bulbous bow” to a photo that appears to show the same section of the boat wedged underneath the side of the canal.

-John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) October 5, 2021

An aerial view of the ship shows the damage from above. The Ever Given weighs 220,000 tons, making it one of the largest container ships in the world.