Ever Given, the huge container ship that blocked the Suez Canal is being unloaded after it arrived in the UK, reports BBC News.

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

The Port of Felixstowe said 2,000 containers were being unloaded from the ship and the process would take about 24 hours.

It said the 400m-long (1,300ft) vessel was due to leave at 02:00 on Thursday.

The ship, operated by Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine, was originally due to arrive at Felixstowe in early April.

It blocked the major shipping lane in Egypt for almost a week in March.

For more on the arrival which drew onlookers to watch the giant ship's arrival, click here.

Ever Given the mega-container ship stranded in the Suez Canal is holding up an estimated $9.6bn (£7bn) of goods each day, according to shipping data, reports BBC News.

This works out at $400m an hour in trade along the waterway which is a vital passageway between east and west.

Data from shipping expert Lloyd's List values the canal's westbound traffic at roughly $5.1bn a day, and eastbound daily traffic at around $4.5bn.

Despite efforts to free the ship, it could take weeks to remove experts say.

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The Ever Given, operated by the Taiwanese company Evergreen Marine, is the length of four football pitches and one of the world's biggest container vessels. The 200,000-tonne ship is capable of carrying 20,000 containers.

Its blockage is causing huge tailbacks of other ships trying to pass through the Suez Canal.

For much more on this global maritime transport blockage click here