Blockage in the Suez Canal
The Ever Given, a more than 200,000 ton container ship, is stuck in the Suez Canal, halting traffic in one of the world’s key waterways.
The ship became horizontally wedged on Tuesday after running aground in the waterway following heavy winds.
Much effort has been made on Wednesday to dislodge the 1,300 feet long carrier, which remains firmly stuck as ships bank up on either side of the canal. This accident comes as the global supply chain already struggles to keep up with demand.
Each day the vessel is stuck, 30 per cent of global cargo ship traffic is blocked with another 50 ships added to the congestion.
The 190km long man-made waterway is a key point of global trade, connecting a steady flow of goods from East to West.
Ocean carriers are watching the situation intently before deciding whether to re-route Asia-Europe sailings via the Cape of Good Hope.
The salvage teams attending the Ever Given may try to lighten the ship by pumping out its bunker fuel and ballast water, but if that does not work, they will need to look at lightening the vessel’s deck cargo load.
If that happens, the canal could be out of action for several weeks as there are very few floating cranes stationed around the world with sufficient height and reach to discharge containers from an ULCV.
Nearly 19,000 ships passed through the canal during 2020, for an average of 51.5 per day, according to the Suez Canal Authority. The ship was sailing from China to Rotterdam when it ran aground.
