Egypt's Suez Canal was blocked after a giant container ship became wedged across it. This timeline may give you a sense of what happened and what has been done.
CAIRO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The Suez Canal, one of the world's most vital shipping routes, was blocked after one of the world's largest container ships ran aground in the narrow man-made channel early Tuesday, having caused disruptions to global shipments for days.
Here is a timeline of this global attention-catching blockage:
March 23:
-- Egypt was hit by a sand storm with heavy winds that reached up to 40 knots.
Photo taken on March 24, 2021 shows the giant cargo container trapped on the Suez Canal of Egypt. (Media for the Suez Canal Head Office/Handout via Xinhua)
March 24:
-- The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said in a statement that Ever Given, a 224,000-ton container ship, was grounded early Tuesday in the new passage of the Suez Canal after being blown off course by the dust storm. The SCA was diverting ships to the canal's old channel.
-- As the blockage has threatened the flow of oil through the waterway, oil prices posted a pronounced rebound.
-- Eight tugboats were at work trying to dislodge the vessel.
-- The grounded vessel has been partially refloated and is now alongside the Canal bank, said shipping agent GAC on its website at noon, citing information from the SCA.
To be updated. ■
