Photographer: Kristian Helgesen / Bloomberg
Photographer: Kristian Helgesen / Bloomberg
A giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in both directions on one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes essential for the transport of oil to liquefied natural gas.
The hull of the 400-meter-long cargo ship Ever Given collapsed along the canal on Tuesday, causing a congestion of at least 100 vessels wanting to transport between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, according to shipping brokers and mapping data compiled by Bloomberg.
Ever Given, which was transporting goods from China to Rotterdam, stranded local time early Tuesday morning and tugs were trying to propel the vessel again, Leth Agencies, one of the best providers of Suez Canal crossing services, said in a notice to customers.
About 42 vessels in the convoy to the north or the arrival to cross the canal northwards are now waiting for the grounded vessel, according to Leth Agencies. About 64 vessels traveling south were also affected.
“There was a grounding incident” in the Suez Canal, said Alok Roy, naval director of BSM Hong Kong, the Ever Given ship manager. No injuries or contamination were reported, he said.
The ship operator, Evergreen Group in Taiwan, could not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Given the shipwreck showed that the Ever Given was still in the same position as Wednesday around 2am in Cairo. A spokesman for the Suez Canal Authority could not be reached for comment after midnight local time.
The Suez Canal is one of the most traded waterways in the world, used by oil tankers cruising from the Middle East to Europe and North America.
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