Is the ship still stuck in Suez Canal? How did the cargo ship get stuck?

The Suez Canal is blocked for the past 3 days and at least 237 ships are stuck at both ends. Every passing hour costs ₹2800Cr to the world and 30 % of the global shipments pass from this highly important trade route. Egypt's Canal is blocked by a massive ship called Ever Given which is twice the height of the Statue of Unity in India. 

Is the ship still stuck in Suez Canal?

The Ever Given ship operated by Evergreen Marine, a Taiwan-based company, is as huge as four football pitches. The still-stuck ship is blocking the southern end of the canal and so other ships are unable to get through one of the world's busiest waterways. According to the New York Times, the Ever Given ship will remain blocked at least for few more days which is why many ships have changed their directions and have taken the longer route. The additional fuel charges for the journey will cost traders more than $30,000 per day, depending on the ship, which may around up to more than $800,000 total for the extended trip. 

How did the ship get stuck in Suez Canal?

Suez Canal is a 193-km canal; an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It also provided the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe. On Tuesday, the 224,000-tonne container ship was stuck horizontally due to powerful winds. This resulted in the complete blockage of the traffic and delayed several ships carrying cargo ranging from oil to consumer goods. The entire crew of Evergreen Marine's Ever Given ship is Indian which includes 25 crew members. All the members are safe.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's statement, the blockage of Egypt's Suez Canal has affected global trade extensively. As per the ministry statement: "If two more days are taken before the efforts result in clearance of the canal, the total backlog created would be about 350 vessels. It is estimated that this backlog should take about a week time to clear out. It was decided in the meeting to closely monitor the situation". Traders stuck at the location only have two options in which they can either wait for the canal to clear or they can take the longer route which will add 26 more days to their schedule including the additional fuel charges that cost more than $30,000 per day.

Promo Image ~ AP