Powerful winds forced a gigantic container ship to be grounded in the Suez Canal, its size blocking nearly the whole waterway and creating a traffic jam in one of the world’s most important trade routes.

Media reports indicated that work to refloat the ship was already underway. Still, it would take a few days before traffic could resume, and the delay could cost up to US$10 billion in damages.

The Ever Given was heading from China to the Netherlands when it went aground in Egypt due to poor visibility and sandstorm winds.

Satellite and social media photos showed the ship’s bow wedged into the eastern bank, its body blocking the width of the canal and the stern touching the other side. The sheer size of the ship, at 220,000 tons and more than 1,300 feet long, proved to be a challenge to dig out as the swarms of boats and mud diggers surrounding it looked like ants around a giant.

The Suez Canal connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. It is responsible for carrying about 10% of the world’s shipping traffic, with goods valued at a total of more than US$9.6 billion passing through every day. The cargo includes around 9% of the world’s petroleum and 8% of natural gas.

With the current blockage, Lloyd’s List has estimated that 165 vessels are stuck in the 120-mile canal and unable to turn around as more arrive in the next few days.

The global shipping industry is already reeling from effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. If the Ever Given is not freed soon, the incident could ultimately give rise to higher prices for consumers by causing delivery delays and goods shortages. Media reports have estimated that ships hauling close to US$10 billion worth of oil and consumer items are stuck.

The 25 crew members are not injured or in any immediate danger, according to the Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.

Bloomberg reported that Egyptian officials in charge of the canal were organizing a rescue operation. An elite salvage team of 10 experts had been tasked to refloat the ship. Salvage master Nick Sloane indicated to Bloomberg that Sunday and Monday, when the tides would peak, might be the best time to free the ship.

He also said that if the operation failed, the next chance would be another 12 to 14 days away, and ships stranded behind would be further delayed.

Sloane has been involved in roughly 100 rescue missions involving ships, planes and more. He was responsible for refloating the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship which capsized off the coast of Italy in 2012.

Richard Meade from Lloyd’s List Maritime Intelligence agreed with Sloane’s assessment, and said that with higher tides, the chances of refloating the Ever Given would be greater.

The Ever Given is operated by the Taiwan-based shipping company Evergreen International Corp and registered in Panama. Evergreen’s chairperson Chang Yen-I commented that Ever Given was a rented ship, and any damages should be the shipowner’s responsibility.

Chang said rescue and refloating efforts were ongoing, and the company had been in close contact with shipowners. He believed that the issue would be resolved soon.

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