A giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal after being blown off by a gust of wind, the shipping company that operates it said on Wednesday, and shipping traffic has stopped on one of the trade routes the busiest in the world.
Read also: Suez, the historic canal
A photo released Tuesday shows the MV Ever Given, a Taiwanese ship 400 meters long and 59 meters wide, crossing the canal and preventing all traffic.
"
The container ship accidentally ran aground, probably after being hit by a gust of wind,
" Evergreen Marine Corp told AFP.
The company "
is in discussions with the parties concerned, including the Authority which manages the canal, to assist the boat as soon as possible,
" she said.
More than 100 ships on standby
The Bloomberg agency said that following the incident, more than 100 ships were waiting to be able to pass through the Suez Canal.
“
There was a grounding incident
,” Alok Roy, director of BSM Hong Kong, which manages Ever Given, told Bloomberg.
Instagram user Julianne Cona posted a photo of the giant container ship from Maersk Denver, stranded behind Ever Given.
“
A ship in front of us ran aground as it was crossing the canal and it is now stranded across,
” she wrote.
"
It looks like we could be here for a little while
."
According to maritime surveillance site Vessel Finder, the ship was on its way to Rotterdam.
"
Tugs are currently trying to get the ship afloat,
" Leth Agencies, a firm that provides services to customers who use the channel, told Twitter.
Egyptian authorities have yet to comment on the incident.
Inaugurated in 1869, the Suez Canal ensures the passage of 10% of international maritime trade.
Nearly 19,000 ships used it last year, according to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).
The canal is a vital source of revenue for Egypt, to which it brought in $ 5.61 billion last year.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced in 2015 a project to develop the canal aimed at reducing waiting times and doubling the number of ships using it by 2023.
