A large container ship ran aground in Egypt’s Suez Canal on March 23, blocking the crucial international trade artery and causing a major traffic jam of shipping vessels at both ends. Both, the north- and south-bound lanes were blocked due to the incident. Several attempts to refloat the 2.20 lakh tonne and 400 metre-long ship, named ‘Ever Given’, reportedly failed.
The ship built in 2018 and operated by Taiwanese transport company Evergreen Marine, ran aground and became lodged sideways across the waterway at about 07:40 local time (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday. The container vessel was on its way to Rotterdam, the Netherlands from China. Ever Given is a large Golden-class container ship. Live data from VesselFinder, a tracking website, showed that efforts were on to refloat the giant ship were on with the help of several tug boats. The incident has already created long tailbacks on the waterway, stopping dozens of other vessels from passing. The Suez Canal is one of the most vital shipping routes in the world as it connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.
About 10% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe. The main canal segment is 190 kilometres long and about 24 metres deep. It is 205 metres wide – large enough for almost any large ship to go through. It handles dozens of giant container ship daily.
