Huge container ship accidentally blocks Suez Canal causing massive jam, netizens 'curious'

A 200,000-tonne hull of Ever Given en route to the Mediterranean from China Red Sea overturned bringing traffic in one of the world’s busiest maritime trade lanes Suez Canal to a halt. Countries incurred losses per hour as Egypt’s most trafficked, and strategically important shipping lane was entirely blocked by the toppled shipping container, which hampered 12 percent of the world’s total trade by volume as several oil tankers and consumer goods vessels gridlocked behind it. 

Even as Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) launched emergency operations with tugs to free at least 100 stuck vessels that had attempted to transit around Ever Given, the 400m-long Taiwan-owned vessel, in a 'never before seen' scenario, impeded all transportation. Moreover, an additional 42 vessels arriving at the canal northbound were stalled in line, waiting. The world’s cargo traffic desperately watched for Ever Given, which had wedged lengthways due to “strong winds” after changing its course, to be rescued and sailed again. 

All crew are safe and accounted for, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement which manages the Ever Given confirmed in a statement . There have been no reports of injuries or pollution.

Getting ship 'out of trouble'

Taiwan-based Evergreen Line, the time charterer of the vessel, shot a response statement saying that they were in touch with relevant authorities including the canal management bureau to get the ship “out of trouble”. Meanwhile, shipbroker Banchero Costa & Co issued a statement, stating that freeing the vessel could take days. Bernhard Schulte Ship management, meanwhile, released a map showing that the container ship longer than Eiffel tower had remained in the same position till about 2 am Wednesday. 

Ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon depicted that at least seven tug boats came to rescue the Rotterdam-bound Ever Given vessel and blocked other oil cargo entering the canal, according to the live updates shared by port agents GAC. Many ships were detained at the anchorages, the vessels sailing in Ever Given direction had to turn around for ballast. As per the SCA marine division, the canal has 19,000 ships that commute in the route, as many as 51 ships per day, and the toppled ship container started a massive traffic pile up. 

(Image Credit: Twitter/@UrosZx)