The cargo ship “Ever Given” is stuck and blocking traffic on the Suez Canal
Source: Reuters
The huge container ship that ran aground on the Suez Canal, disrupting traffic on one of the world’s busiest waterways, is still stuck after little progress appeared to have been made on Wednesday to dislodge the ship.
The ship, called Ever Given, was horizontally trapped on the waterway after strong winds. Several tugs were sent to the site to assist with the flotation operation, which can take days.
At about 4 pm Eastern time, a spokesman for Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, who is the ship’s technical manager, said the ship was still stranded with ongoing floating efforts.
The huge cargo carrier is over 1,300 feet long and about 193 feet wide. It weighs over 200,000 tons. One end of the ship was attached to one side of the channel, with the other extending almost to the other bank.
The 120-mile-long artificial waterway is a key point of global trade, connecting a steady flow of goods from east to west.
Everything from consumer products to machine parts and oil flows through its waters.
Almost 19,000 ships passed through the canal in 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.
Satellite images showed an accumulation of ships at both ends of the waterway while Ever Given stopped the flow of traffic.
The accident occurs at a time when the global supply chain is already struggling to keep pace with demand. The shortage has been most acute in the chip industry, forcing automakers to suspend operations.