The Ever Given cargo vessel is lodged in the Suez Canal and has been for the last 3 days, causing major havoc for global trade and bringing all other vessels accessing the waterway to a halt.
Similar to Sydney traffic on a Monday morning, the almost 200 kilometre aquatic trade motorway has come to a standstill with no freedom in sight.
The effort to move the 400m ship, almost as long as the empire state building, is now in its third day and is a crisis as following vessels continue to back up in both directions.
According to tracking data, a total of 206 ships carrying oil, automotive parts and consumer goods have now accumulated on both sides of the Suez Canal.
Approximately $10 billion worth of fuel and products bound for both sides of our globe are banked up in this aquatic traffic jam.
Connecting the Mediterranean and Red Sea, the Suez Canal is the trade shortcut that assists vessels voyaging from Asia to Europe.
An original 12-day journey simply reduced to 12-hours by slicing through Egypt’s north-east corner. This man made shortcut cuts a lengthy 9,650 kilometre circumnavigation around Africa off many voyages.
The waterway accounts for 12 per cent of the world’s total trade so it is vital for authorities to free the Ever Given vessel quickly.
The Ever Given, one of the world’s largest cargo ships, ran aground on its journey from China to Rotterdam.
Heading north through the waterway the vessel has ended up sideways in the passage of water, which at its narrowest, is just 205 meters wide. After lodging in the eastern bank and suffering a power outage, the vessel is relying on additional support to free it without power assistance.
Strategies such as dredgers, tugboats, diggers and lightening the load have all been considered to dislodge the cargo vessel.
Ever Given’s technical manager BSM said dredgers were working to clear sand and mud from around the vessel while tugboats in conjunction with Ever Given’s winches work to shift it.