The Panamanian-flagged freighter Ever Given was stranded in the Suez Canal.
(CNN) -
A large container ship remains stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal, preventing other vessels from moving in both directions.
That caused a traffic jam on one of the most important sea lanes in the world.
The Ever Given, which sails under the Panamanian flag, stands at the 151 km mark of the canal after entering the crucial East-West trade route on Tuesday morning.
The container ship ran aground when it was approximately 6 nautical miles from the southern end of the estuary, Evergreen Marine, the ship's operating company, said in a statement.
Eight tugs are working to float and unlock the 59-meter-wide vessel, which was heading for the port of Rotterdam.
The ship's jam occurred after 40-knot winds and a sandstorm caused low visibility and poor navigation, the Suez Canal Authority said in a statement Wednesday.
"The ship is 400 meters long and 59 meters wide, with a total tonnage of 224,000 tons," added the authority.
"Tankers carrying Saudi, Russian, Omani and American oil are waiting at both ends," according to Tanker Trackers, which monitors the ships via satellite and maritime data.
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An Egyptian official said it would take days to unblock the ship stuck in the Suez Canal.
Why did the container ship run aground in the Suez Canal?
The Ever Given was in transit from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean when it ran into trouble around 7:40 a.m. local time after the ship suffered a blackout, Reuters reported citing the group of port agents GAC.
The GAC said on its website that there are 15 other vessels in a convoy heading north behind the ship that have been held at anchorages while the channel clears.
A southbound convoy is also blocked, he said.
Almost 19,000 ships, or an average of 51.5 ships per day, with a net tonnage of 1.17 billion tons passed through the canal during 2020, according to the Suez Canal Authority.
About 12% of the volume of world trade passes through the artificial channel, which is a major source of foreign exchange for Egypt.
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This satellite image from Planet Labs Inc. shows the freighter housed on the other side of the waterway.
Lock on the Suez Canal
Tankers have started piling up near the waterway as they wait for the container ship to move.
“This can have a big impact on the load.
If it lasts longer, it can cause shipping delays both ways, ”said a Singapore-based shipping agent.
Lieutenant General Ossama Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority, second from right, speaks with other staff members aboard a ship near the affected freighter.
The impact on oil and gas flows will depend on how long it takes to clear the container ship, industry sources said.
"If it extends to, say, weeks, of course it will disrupt all shipments in a major way," said Ashok Sharma, managing director of BRS Baxi, a Singapore-based ship broker.
"But I think there should be enough resources available and close enough to deal with the situation quickly, in days instead of weeks," Sharma said.
