'Traffic jam' at the Suez Canal

Ship finally freed in Suez - 12th April 2021

An investigation is underway into how a massive container ship obstructed the Suez Canal for almost a week.

Connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal has some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. With the Ever Given trapped in the canal, the tailback of waiting vessels stretched for miles and many companies opted to reroute ships.

Towards the end of March, the 200,000 tonne ship ran aground amid high winds and a sandstorm that affected visibility. Specialist reclamation companies were brought in to help re-float the ship. The operation involved 800 people working round the clock. They utilised tugboats and dredging boats, together with a high tide, to finally dislodge the vessel.

The bustling canal forms a crucial passageway for about 12% of total global commerce. It provides the shortest link between Asia and Europe. An alternative journey, around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, can take up to two weeks longer and is less reliable as it is prone to pirate attacks.

According to experts, the blockage held up an estimated $9.6bn worth of trade each day, or $400m an hour. The Ever Given itself holds an extensive variety of cargo and the insured value is believed to amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Investigators have boarded the Ever Given before it heads to its final destination of Felixstowe in the UK. These experts will be analysing whether human or mechanical error may have been involved in the grounding. With a possible legal claim of $1 billion dollars by other shipping companies, the investigation results are nervously awaited.