Egypt’s Suez Canal blocked by large container ship

© Science Photo Library A container ship entering the Suez Canal in Egypt, with the city of Suez on the right (file photo)

Egypt’s Suez Canal has been blocked by a large container ship that ran aground while turning in the narrow channel, vessel tracking sites show.

Several tug boats were deployed to help shift the 59m (194ft) wide vessel, the Ever Given, which has been causing a build-up of shipping traffic.

The incident occurred just north of the port of Suez early on Tuesday.

The waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.

The Ever Given, registered in Panama, was travelling from China to the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and was passing northwards through the canal on its way to the Mediterranean when it became trapped.

© Vessel Finder A graphic image from the Vessel Finder site shows several tug boats alongside the Ever Given

The ship is operated by transport company Evergreen Marine.

A photo posted on Instagram on Tuesday, reportedly from someone on board another cargo ship – the Maersk Denver – directly behind the Ever Given, shows the trapped vessel with what appears to be a small digger clearing soil along the bank.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMxEKHanW62/

The Suez Canal crosses the Suez isthmus in Egypt. It is about 193km (120 miles) long and incorporates three natural lakes.

In 2015, Egypt’s government opened a major expansion of the canal that deepened the main waterway and provided ships with a 35km (22 mile) channel parallel to it.