The Suez Canal has been blocked after a large cargo ship MV Ever Given ran aground while passing through it on Tuesday, bringing traffic on the busy trade route to a halt.
- The 400m-long, 200,000-tonne vessel became wedged across the canal amid high winds and a dust storm.
- The vessel is operated by Taiwanese transport company Evergreen Marine but called the Ever Given.
- The Suez Canal-a human-made waterway, was built in 1869, which provides a major shortcut for ships moving between Europe and Asia, who before its construction had to sail around Africa to complete the same journey.
- About 12 per cent of global trade passes through the Suez canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.
- An alternative route, around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, can take two weeks longer.
(Indian Express)
