One of the largest container ships in the world ran aground in the Suez Canal, completely blocking traffic on an important trade artery connecting Europe, Asia, the United States and the Middle East, according to shipping traffic data. About 12% of world trade passes through the canal, 30% of the world's container ships' capacity per year, and about 600 barrels of crude oil from the Middle East to Europe and the United States every day. The channel remains the main source of income for Egypt.
The accident occurred at approximately 05:40 GMT on Tuesday (March 23), CTO of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), which owns the ship, told Reuters.
At the entrance to the canal, tankers with oil, liquefied natural gas, container ships with various goods, dry cargo vessels accumulate. Five liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers were unable to pass through the canal on Wednesday, according to analyst firm Kpler - three were heading to Asia and two to Europe. If the congestion continues until the end of this week, it will affect the transit of 15 LNG tankers and disrupt the entire shipping schedule.
Stuck on the way and 10 tankers with 13 million barrels of oil, according to Vortexa.
Unlocking will take several days in a successful case. The vessel is 400 meters long and 60 meters wide. The ship ran aground in a narrow part of the canal due to bad weather - with a strong and prolonged gust of wind, which changed its course.