A giant chest ran aground in the Suez Canal on Tuesday, blocking all boat traffic and creating a backlog of vessels on one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
The Ever Given, a 400-meter (1,312-foot) container ship, was trapped in the canal on its side, with the bow wedged into one bank and the stern almost touching the other, according to ship operators and images posted on the networks. social.
The ship, operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Group, is one of the largest ocean going vessels. It can move more than 20,000 containers and is taller than the Empire State Building when standing upright.
“There are at least 100 ships waiting to transit between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean,” said a London runner. “The tugs are trying to re-float it, but it is not going to be easy.”
The Suez Canal Authority, which operates the canal, was not immediately available for comment. An Evergreen spokesman said the ship was likely hit by high winds “causing the hull to drift out of the channel and run aground.”