On March 23, at about 7:40 a.m., the Ever Given, a 1,300-foot container ship, veered to the right as it was traversing the Suez Canal, wedging its bow into the canal wall.
Since then, it has blocked all traffic between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, a major shipping route between Asia and Europe, disrupting supply chains and prompting shippers to decide whether to spend the extra time and fuel needed to go the long way around, via the Cape of Good Hope.
Where is the Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal cuts through Egypt, linking the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Red Sea in the south. It is one of the world’s best-known and most important waterways. Nearly 19,000 vessels passed through the canal last year carrying some 1.2 billion tons of cargo. As much as 13% of maritime trade passes through the Suez Canal, including a large proportion of the world’s oil.
Who controls the Suez Canal, and why is it important?
The Suez Canal Authority, an Egyptian state institution, operates the channel. France first controlled the canal, when the initial version was completed in 1869, during Ottoman rule in Egypt. It cuts the shipping time between Europe and Asia by about two weeks, compared with the alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa. Egypt’s then-leader, President Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the canal in 1956, prompting the U.K., France and Israel to invade the canal zone in an attempt to secure control before accepting Egypt’s authority over the channel after the U.S. and other countries intervened. Egypt’s move was instrumental in fomenting a wave of Arab nationalism across the Middle East. The canal remains an important source of revenue for Egypt, generating billions of dollars in fees each year.
How did the cargo ship get stuck in the Suez Canal?
The Ever Given was moving north up the canal toward the Mediterranean Sea when it was caught in a dust storm where wind speeds reached 40 knots, according to a person familiar with the incident. Its bow then veered into the right side of the channel, becoming embedded in the canal wall and wedging the vessel across almost the entire width of the channel.
What’s being done to dig out the Ever Given?
Dredgers have been working to remove hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of sand around the bow of the ship, which is operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Group. Tug boats have also been attempting to pull the vessel out of the canal wall. An attempt to refloat the ship early on Friday failed, according to the ship’s managers. Evergreen then said it could take two or three more days to continue digging around the bow area to free the vessel during high tide.
How has the Suez Canal being blocked impacted the supply chain and international trade?
Oil prices rose as news of the jam emerged. The canal is a vulnerable choke point for the energy industry. But with some 55,000 containers usually making their way through the channel each day, disruptions to the supply of consumers goods and other items are looming into view as the logjam of vessels waiting at each end of the canal grew to 276 on Saturday, up from 237 the previous day and helping to drive up shipping prices. The incident involving the Ever Given added to other problems, including an inundation of inventory restocking at the California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
What is the U.S. doing to help?
President Biden said the U.S. is assessing how it can assist the effort to refloat the Ever Given. “We have equipment and capacity that most countries don’t have and we are seeing what help we can be," he told reporters on Friday. Other officials have said the Navy is readying to send dredging experts to the canal, but are waiting for a go-ahead from Egyptian authorities.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
