In late March 2021, a massive container ship by the name of the Ever Given ran aground in Egypt’s Suez Canal. After nearly a week of grueling, agonizing work to get the ship free, the story continues. This grounding sent a global ripple effect, impacting the world’s economy for weeks to come.
To help you better understand the situation, read on for the what, the why, and the how.
What happened to cause the ship to get stuck?
Unfortunately, bad weather -- high winds and a sandstorm -- is the simple answer to how the Ever Given got stuck.
However, the deeper answer is that the canal is narrow and shallow. In such a tight space, if a ship the size of the Ever Given even slightly goes off course, the sheer weight and length of the vessel will result in running aground.
In the end, when the Ever Given was blown off course, it got stuck, and one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors had to completely stop traffic until it was dislodged.
Why is this important to the trade community and world economy?
The Suez Canal is the only water connection between the Red and Mediterranean Seas. Additionally, it is the fastest way for ships to travel from Asia to Europe. On average, this vital trade route has around fifty ships holding oil, consumer goods, foods, with more passing every day.
When the Ever Given was stuck, it also caused hundreds of ships, on both ends of the trade corridor, to stop travel. While the true effects of this trading halt are yet to be fully seen, it is easy to see that billions of USD have already been lost.
How will the world be impacted by this incident?
In an already fragile global economy that is suffering from overloaded ports while trying to rebound from COVID-19, the obstruction of this major water corridor could result in a lack of goods and higher prices due to bottlenecks. Because ports run on very tight loading and unloading schedules, now, they will have to handle an influx of ships.
As the situation continues to unfold, be sure to stay on top of your shipping and logistic needs with ClearFreight. Our team of experts is always ready to assist. Contact us today.