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Rescue Operation Underway to Free Ship Blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal

March 24, 2021

Rescue efforts are ongoing to refloat a 400-metre-long cargo ship in the Suez Canal after it ran aground on Tuesday morning, causing widespread disruption along the vital international trade route. According to the official Suez Canal Authority (SCA), strong winds and limited visibility from a recent sandstorm led to loss of ability to steer the ship, named the Ever Given, which then became lodged sideways, blocking the movement of other vessels through the canal. The SCA announced today that eight rescue tugboats are involved in a rescue operation to refloat the stranded ship which was en route to the Netherlands from China. Some reports claim that it has already been partially refloated. Either way, the incident has already caused widespread shipping and trade disruption, with hundreds of cargo ships reportedly blocked from both sides. The canal is a heavily relied-upon route; 50 ships passed through the canal per day in 2019 according to government statistics. A press release from the Ever Given’s management company, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, stated that “all crew are safe and accounted for.” They further added that no pollution, cargo damage or injury had been reported, and…


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