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Suez Canal blockage

December 2023

A Houthi forces helicopter approaches a cargo ship in the Red Sea.

Oil climbs as Red Sea attacks shut down shipping

The threat from Houthi militants is forcing major container lines to pull out of the area, raising fears the Israel-Hamas war will undermine the global economy.

  • Updated
  • Elizabeth Low

July 2021

The container ship Ever Given was wedged in the Suez Canal for six days, completely blocking shipping and nearly causing a global trade crisis in the process.

Six days in Suez: the inside story of the ship that broke global trade

How the Ever Given and its billion-dollar cargo blocked a global shipping route, stopped world trade – and eventually sailed free.

  • Kit Chellel, Matthew Campbell and K Oanh Ha

April 2021

SUEZ, EGYPT - MARCH 28: The container ship, the Ever Given, is seen at the Suez Canal on March 28, 2021 in Suez, Egypt. Work continues to free the Ever Given, a huge container ship stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal. The ship ran aground in the canal on March 23, after being caught in 40-knot winds. Dredgers have been working on the port side of the ship in an attempt to remove sand and mud and dislodge the vessel. The Suez Canal is one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes and the blockage has created a backlog of vessels at either end, raising concerns over the impact the accident will have on global shipping and supply chains. (Photo by Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images)

Egypt seizes ship that became wedged in Suez Canal

Authorities said the hulking Ever Given, which caused chaos on shipping routes when it blocked the canal, would not be allowed to leave until compensation was settled.

  • Samy Magdy

March 2021

This photo released by the Suez Canal Authority shows tug boats and dredgers working to free the Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned Ever Given, which is lodged across the Suez Canal, Sunday, March 28, 2021. Two additional tugboats are speeding to canal to aid efforts to free the skyscraper-sized container ship wedged for days across the crucial waterway. That's even as major shippers increasingly divert their boats out of fear the vessel may take even longer to free. (Suez Canal Authority via AP)

Giant container ship that blocked Suez Canal finally set free

A flotilla of tugboats managed to free the enormous Ever Given cargo ship from the Suez Canal, where it had been wedged for days.

  • Isabel Debre and Samy Magdy
The cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Friday, March 26, 2021.

Suez blockage shows why free trade flows matter

The huge stranded ship reminded us that even in a world that increasingly lives online, economies still depend on physically moving goods around the globe.

  • The AFR View
SUEZ, EGYPT - MARCH 28: The container ship, the Ever Given, is seen at the Suez Canal on March 28, 2021 in Suez, Egypt. Work continues to free the Ever Given, a huge container ship stuck sideways in Egypt's Suez Canal. The ship ran aground in the canal on March 23, after being caught in 40-knot winds. Dredgers have been working on the port side of the ship in an attempt to remove sand and mud and dislodge the vessel. The Suez Canal is one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes and the blockage has created a backlog of vessels at either end, raising concerns over the impact the accident will have on global shipping and supply chains. (Photo by Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images)

Container ship ‘partially refloated’, but still stuck in Suez Canal

Although the development marked the Ever Given’s most significant movement since getting stuck last week, the salvage crew urged caution as obstacles loomed.

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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/suez-canal-blockage-1np3