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Suez Canal blocked by the grounded ship

Suez Canal blocked by the grounded ship

In Egypt, a cargo container ship named Ever Given ran aground and blocked the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Due to the incident, a traffic jam from sea vessels formed on the spot.

The 224,000 tonne, 400-metre long vessel, named Ever Given, owned by Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine ran aground in a narrow shipping channel on Tuesday.

Because of this, about 15 ships were stuck behind a cargo ship, while the southern part of the channel was also blocked.

According to shipping company GAC, it suffered a blackout when it was travelling northwards in a convoy.

It could take up to two days to move it, an official reportedly told local news outlet Cairo24.

The three-year-old cargo ship is one of the largest in the world.

It is registered in Panama, and was on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China when it became stuck.

BSM said all crew are safe and accounted for and there are no reports of injuries or pollution.

The busy Egyptian shipping lane connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, and is the quickest maritime link between Asia and Europe.

Julianne Cona, who is on the vessel behind – the American-registered Maersk Denver – said the Ever Given was stuck sideways.

She wrote on Instagram: “Ship in front of us ran aground while going through the canal and is now stuck sideways looks – like we might be here for a little bit.”

The waterway, which is around 193km (120 miles) long, was built by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869 – officially opening in 1869.

About 12% of the world’s trade volume passes through it, making it one of the world’s busiest waterways.

Almost 19,000 ships – or an average of 51.5 ships per day, with a net tonnage of 1.17 billion tonnes – passed through the
canal during 2020, to according to the Suez Canal Authority.

Evergreen Marine said: “The company has urged the shipowner to report the cause of the accident and to work out a plan with related units such as the canal administration to assist the ship in getting out of trouble as soon as possible.”

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