Ship Refloated After Getting Stuck In Suez Canal—The Latest Incident Hitting World’s Trade Artery

Topline

A ship has been refloated after running aground in Egypt’s Suez Canal on Monday, according to news reports, briefly disrupting traffic in the latest incident to hit one of the world’s busiest shipping routes since early 2021, when a colossal container ship paralyzed global supply chains after blocking the canal for days.

Key Facts

The MV Glory, a China-bound cargo ship reportedly carrying nearly 66,000 metric tons of corn from Ukraine, has been refloated after briefly running aground in the Suez Canal, according to news reports citing shipping agency Leth and Suez Canal Authority officials.

Around 20 ships stopped from traveling south through the waterway will be able to commence or resume their passage with minor delays, Leth said, adding that “ordinary convoy” will resume at 11a.m. local time.

Suez Canal Authority chief Osama Rabie confirmed the incident and said the vessel ran aground following a “sudden technical failure,” according to AFP.

The ship is now being towed away by tugs for repairs, Rabie added.

Traffic through the canal is “normal,” Rabie said.

Satellite tracking data showed the MV Glory in a single-lane zone of the Suez Canal south of the Port of Said on the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Associated Press, and an image posted by Leth suggested it was against the canal’s bank rather than wedged across the waterway.

Key Background

The Suez Canal offers the most direct maritime link between Asia and Europe and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. It is a crucial supply chain conduit for all manner of goods and around 12% of world trade reportedly passes through the channel each year. Increasing shipping volume and the growing size of ships has strained the canal, which was first built in the 1800’s, particularly shallower choke points along the route. Global trade ground to a halt in 2021 when the Ever Given, a gigantic container ship, lodged itself in the middle of a single-lane passage for days before being freed. The blockage sparked delays in shipping, surges in shipping costs, oil price hikes and delayed traffic that snarled ports for months as ships diverted or delayed arrived off-schedule. The specter of global trade chaos reared its head again in September when a tanker ran aground close to the same place the Ever Given got stuck, though tugboats were able to swiftly free the vessel.

Tangent

The Ever Forward, owned by the same company as the Ever Given, was stuck for a month in Chesapeake Bay in early 2022. It was freed after a salvage operation undertaken by a group of responders including the Coast Guard and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Big Number

18,000. That’s how many ships pass through the Suez Canal each year, according to Bloomberg.

Further Reading

Suez Canal briefly blocked again after another ship, Affinity V, becomes stuck (Guardian)

The untold story of the big boat that broke the world (Wired)

Giant Ever Given Ship That Blocked Suez Canal Is Freed After Months-Long Fight Over Compensation (Forbes)