Suez Canal gets blocked by a container Ever Given. The 2018-constructed vessel, which is 400-m lengthy and 59-m huge, got stuck right here due to an accident caused by a terrible climate.
Global Trade Suffers
The ship, weighing 2 lakh tonnes, ran aground and became trapped sideways across the canal, ultimately blocking the path of other ships waiting to pass on both sides.
Evergreen Marine, the ship’s operator in Taiwan, said that it was “suspected of being struck by a sudden strong storm, causing the sides to deviate and unintentionally hit the bottom and run aground.” There were no injuries among the crew members.
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is now looking to refloat the ship using rescue and tug devices. Diggers are also seeking to unfasten the ship from the canal’s bank, in which it is lodged. In 2015, Egypt introduced plans to further enlarge the Suez Canal, aiming to reduce waiting times and double the number of ships that could use the canal daily by 2023.
Why Suez Canal is important?
It is an artificial waterway in Egypt, which connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea through the Suez isthmus and divides the continent of Africa and Asia. About 12% of global trade passes through it.
It was constructed with the aid of the Suez Canal corporation of Britain between 1859 and 1869, it was officially inaugurated on 17 November 1869. the overall length is 193.30 km that incorporates both its northern and southern channels.
Completely owned by Egypt now and all the revenue generated belongs to the government of Egypt.
Solution to counter such miss happening in future
With the increase in international trade, the pressure over Suez Canal has extended and will keep on increasing if an alternate trade path isn’t planned. The best alternate to Suez Canal is through Iran, a country that is beneath a shower of sanctions that can give access to Europe.
India has already developed the Chabahar port in Iran however is unable to amplify it due to numerous US sanctions. So need of the hour is that all of us should stand together and take a combined action closer to it.
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