On Tuesday morning, the Ever Given sailed into the placid waters of the Suez Canal, the 120-mile-long link on its journey from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, as it carried thousands of tons of cargo bound for the Netherlands.
Then a dust storm hit, limiting visibility and battering ships with heavy winds, according to the Suez Canal Authority. By midmorning, the massive ship — one of the largest in the world at more than 1,300 feet long, more than twice the height of the Washington Monument — was wedged sideways across the canal.
Dozens of boats piled up into a marine traffic jam on the crucial shipping lane as tugboats and diggers tried to free the vessel. Oil prices rose Wednesday amid heightened worries over access to the canal, through which some 12 percent of global trade passes.
The Ever Given container ship became stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC on Tuesday
Detail
Cairo
EGYPT
The vessel is 1,312 feet long, exactly the maximum length permitted in the canal
The vessel blockage has caused a jam of dozens of ships waiting at both ends of the canal
Suez Canal
Suez
984 feet
Source: MarineTraffic
3,000 FEET
Source: Planet Labs Inc.
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
The Ever Given container ship became stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC on Tuesday
Detail
Cairo
EGYPT
The vessel is 1,312 feet long, exactly the maximum length permitted in the canal
Suez Canal
984 feet
The vessel blockage has caused a jam of dozens of ships waiting at both ends of the canal
Suez
3,000 FEET
Source: Planet Labs Inc.
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Detail
The Ever Given container ship became stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC on Tuesday
Cairo
EGYPT
The vessel is 1,312 feet long, exactly the maximum length permitted in the canal
984 feet
Suez Canal
Suez
The vessel blockage has caused a jam of dozens of ships waiting at both ends of the canal
3,000 FEET
Source: Planet Labs Inc.
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Detail
Cairo
The Ever Given container ship became stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC on Tuesday
EGYPT
The vessel is 1,312 feet long, exactly the maximum length permitted in the canal
984 feet
Suez Canal
Suez
The vessel blockage has caused a jam of dozens of ships waiting at both ends of the canal
3,000 FEET
Source: Planet Labs Inc.
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Detail
Cairo
The Ever Given container ship became stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC on Tuesday
EGYPT
The vessel is 1,312 feet long, exactly the maximum length permitted in the canal
984 feet
Suez Canal
Suez
The vessel blockage has caused a jam of dozens of ships waiting at both ends of the canal
3,000 FEET
Detail
Cairo
The Ever Given container ship became stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC on Tuesday
EGYPT
The vessel is 1,312 feet long, exactly the maximum length permitted in the canal
984 feet
Suez Canal
Suez
The vessel blockage has caused a jam of dozens of ships waiting at both ends of the canal
3,000 FEET
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Source: Planet Labs Inc.
Those at the scene marked the stranding as a strange sight to behold.
“Ship in front of us ran aground while going through the canal and is now stuck sideways,” Julianne Cona, an engineer on the Maersk Denver, wrote in an Instagram post showing her ship stuck behind the Ever Given. “Looks like we might be here for a little bit.”
Vessel traffic at the Suez Canal after blockage
Data from March 24 from 11:27 a.m. to 1:27 p.m. UTC.
Mediterranean
Sea
Vessel
Rosetta
Port Said
Detail
Suez
Canal
Al Ismailiya
EGYPT
Fayed
Cairo
The Ever Given container ship delayed dozens of ships
Suez
30 MILES
Nile River
Red
Sea
Source: MarineTraffic
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Vessel traffic at the Suez Canal after blockage
Data from March 24 from 11:27 a.m. to 1:27 p.m. UTC.
Mediterranean
Sea
Vessel
Rosetta
Port Said
Detail
Suez
Canal
Al Ismailiya
EGYPT
Fayed
Cairo
The Ever Given container ship delayed dozens of ships
Suez
30 MILES
Nile River
Red Sea
Source: MarineTraffic
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Vessel traffic at the Suez Canal after blockage
Data from March 24 from 11:27 a.m. to 1:27 p.m. UTC.
Mediterranean
Sea
Vessel
Rosetta
Detail
Port Said
Suez
Canal
Al Ismailiya
EGYPT
Fayed
Cairo
The Ever Given container ship blocked dozens of vessels at both ends of the canal
Suez
30 MILES
Nile River
Red Sea
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Source: MarineTraffic
Vessel traffic at the Suez Canal after blockage
Data from March 24 from 11:27 a.m. to 1:27 p.m. UTC.
Mediterranean
Sea
Vessel
Detail
Rosetta
Port Said
Suez
Canal
Al Ismailiya
EGYPT
Fayed
Cairo
The Ever Given container ship blocked dozens of vessels at both ends of the canal
Suez
30 MILES
Nile River
Red Sea
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Source: MarineTraffic
Vessel traffic at the Suez Canal after blockage
Data from March 24 from 11:27 a.m. to 1:27 p.m. UTC.
Mediterranean
Sea
Vessel
Detail
Rosetta
Port Said
Suez
Canal
EGYPT
Al Ismailiya
Fayed
The Ever Given container ship blocked dozens of vessels at both ends of the canal
Cairo
Suez
30 MILES
Nile River
Red Sea
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Source: MarineTraffic
Early Wednesday morning, the ship was “partially refloated” and moved along the banks of the canal, according to an update sent to The Washington Post by GAC, a port agent that cited sources with the Suez Canal Authority.
The vessel is being towed to another position and traffic in the canal will be back to normal soon, GAC said in a statement. Experts said it could still take several days to refloat.
The Ever Given, which is operated by the Taiwanese firm Evergreen Marine and flagged in Panama, belongs to a modern class of massive cargo ships and can carry up to 220,000 tons of containers. In 2015, the Suez Canal underwent an $8.5 billion expansion to accommodate the ships and to set up two-way traffic headed north and south — but its owners never envisioned one of those megaships blocking the whole route, experts said.
“The Egyptian government certainly did not expect the route to be blocked both ways by a single ship,” said Flavio Macau, a supply chain management expert at Edith Cowan University in Australia, in an interview with The Post. “You can call it … karma, bad luck or a lack of engineering oversight.”
But that’s what happened Tuesday morning after the Ever Given left Suez, Egypt, south of the canal, and headed north, according to GAC.
Around 7:40 a.m. local time, the ship ran aground. According to the Suez Canal Authority, the dust storm knocked out power to the ship before it happened.
“The container accidentally ran aground after a suspected gust of wind hit it,” Evergreen Marine told Agence France-Presse. “The company has urged the shipowner to report the cause of the incident and has been in discussions with relevant parties including the canal management authority to assist the ship as soon as possible.”
Japanese firm Shoei Kisen KK, the ship’s owner, could face millions of dollars in insurance claims, Reuters reported.
The accident led to a backup in the busy canal — and nearly some other incidents, according to Cona.
“Right after they ran aground the ship behind us lost power and almost hit us,” she wrote on Instagram.
It was quickly clear that getting the Ever Given back on track would be a mammoth operation. Photos and satellite maps showed its bow along the canal’s eastern boundary, while its stern nearly touched the western edge.
“From the looks of it that ship is super stuck,” Cona wrote on Instagram. “They had a bunch of tugs trying to pull and push it earlier but it was going nowhere.”
She added, “There is a little excavator trying to dig out the bow.”
Tugboats scrambled to try to “re-float the vessel,” according to Leth Agencies, which offers services to ships transiting the canal.
By Wednesday morning, they’d finally succeeded in dislodging the ship from the banks, GAC said, and tugs were working to get it back on its way.
Global shipping firms rely on the Suez Canal to move millions of tons of cargo and oil every day on the shortest route between Asia and Europe. Satellite maps Wednesday showed dozens of vessels idling in the Red and Mediterranean seas waiting for the canal to reopen.
Arrivals and departures at the Suez Canal
100 vessels
The Ever Given container ship becomes stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC, blocking vessel traffic
Departures
80
60
40
Arrivals
20
0
Feb. 22
Mar. 1
Mar 8.
Mar. 15
Mar. 22
Source: MarineTraffic
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Arrivals and departures at the Suez Canal
100 vessels
The Ever Given container ship becomes stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC, blocking vessel traffic
Departures
80
60
40
Arrivals
20
0
Feb. 22
Mar. 1
Mar 8.
Mar. 15
Mar. 22
Source: MarineTraffic
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Arrivals and departures at the Suez Canal
100 vessels
The Ever Given container ship becomes stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC, blocking vessel traffic
Departures
80
60
40
Arrivals
20
0
Feb. 22
Mar. 1
Mar 8.
Mar. 15
Mar. 22
Source: MarineTraffic
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Arrivals and departures at the Suez Canal
100 vessels
The Ever Given container ship becomes stuck in the canal at 5:40 a.m. UTC, blocking vessel traffic
Departures
80
60
40
Arrivals
20
0
Feb. 22
Mar. 1
Mar 8.
Mar. 15
Mar. 22
Source: MarineTraffic
JÚLIA LEDUR/THE WASHINGTON POST
Macau said that a pause of a day or two in the canal would not have much impact on global shipping. But the longer the wait, the more likely availability of some goods could be affected by shipping delays, some experts warned.
“This is not the canal’s busiest time of the year,” Macau said. “Autumn and summer in the Northern Hemisphere would be more problematic.”
Sudarsan Raghavan in Cairo and Miriam Berger in Washington contributed to this report. Hannah Dormido contributed to the graphics in this report.
