Addis Ababa, March 25, 2021(Walta) – The Suez Canal, which cuts through Egypt to connect the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, has been blocked by a cargo ship that has run aground.
Images showed the Ever Given perpendicular to the canal, clearly blocking other ships from passing. It is being helped out by an army of tugs and support from the banks including a digger, which appeared to be attempting to free the bow of the ship.
According to freighter information on MarineTraffic, the ship sails under the Panamanian flag and was built three years ago.
It was en route to Rotterdam, the Netherlands from China before it hit trouble. The canal is a key waterway for the global freight business. It usually carries more than 50 ships per day.
Oliver Chapman, Group CEO of supply chain procurement company OCI, warned the crash and ensuing delay may have a big effect on transporting personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and nurses fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve got an awful lot of deals ongoing at the moment, coming in from China, from Malaysia and Vietnam off … a lot of cargo is carrying essential health care kits suitable for COVID-19. This really is the wrong time for this to happen,” he told CGTN Europe.