A massive cargo container ship, which is one of the largest in the world, has turned sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal. Following this, the traffic in the central East-West waterway for global shipping has been blocked.
As per reports, the Ever Given show’s bow was meeting the canal’s eastern wall, while its stern looked stuck against its western wall. The authorities said high winds might have made the ship turn sideways.
However, the cargo ship did not lose any of its containers, and no crew were injured in the incident. Meanwhile, several tug boats circled the ship are trying to push the ship the right way. An Egyptian official informed it could take at least a couple of days to clear the ship.
The situation is frightening to disturb a global shipping system, which was already hurt by the pandemic.
The Suez Canal is Egypt’s top foreign money earners as it gives a vital link for oil, natural gas and cargo being freighting from East to West. Opened in 1869, 10% of the world’s trade flows through the waterway.