Shipping at one of the world’s most important waterways was halted on Tuesday after a cargo ship ran aground and reportedly suffered a power outage.
Photos posted on social media showed a large cargo vessel, identified as the Ever Given, stuck sideways in the canal as tugboats and even an excavator worked to free it.
Shipping company sources told the S&P Global Platts news blog that north- and south-bound traffic in the canal were both halted, likely causing serious delays that will last for days after the canal is reopened.
“A container ship enroute from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean ran aground … in the Suez Canal at about 0740 hours local time (0840 GMT) this morning [March 23]. The vessel suffered a blackout while transiting in a northerly direction,” the shipping and logistics company GAC told S&P Global Platts in a statement.
The vessel, sailing under a Panamanian flag, was reportedly bound for the Netherlands from China, according to The Guardian.