The Ever Green, a 400-meter (1,300-foot) container ship got stranded in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Tuesday and has since been blocking the vital maritime passageway between Asia and Europe.
A giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal has put the vulnerabilities of global trade center stage. DW looks at the major shipping routes most at risk from unforeseen events.
The Ever Given, a 400-meter (1,300-foot) container ship got stranded in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Tuesday and has since been blocking the vital maritime passageway between Asia and Europe.
The suspension of traffic through the narrow channel has deepened problems for world trade already disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Dozens of ships — including several oil tankers — are now waiting either side of the canal, according to Refinitiv shipping data, while several others have been rerouted. That is likely to add up to 15 days to their journey.
On Friday, the Reuters news agency reported that efforts to free the ship had failed and may now take several more weeks. Unstable weather conditions may further complicate the dredging of sand from around the vessel.
The blockage could cost global trade $6-10 billion (€5-8.5 billion) a week, a study by German insurer Allianz suggested. The cost of shipping oil products, for example, has already doubled and delays to the global manufacturing supply chain, especially the auto industry, could hit consumers.
