A handout picture released by the Suez Canal Authority on Thursday shows Egyptian tug boats trying to free MV Ever Given , which is lodged sideways and impeding all traffic across the Suez Canal. – AFPPIX/HOGlobal shipping giant Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd said on Thursday they were looking into options to avoid Egypt's Suez Canal, including going around Africa, as a giant ship continued to block the key waterway.
Boo Arias said nine Maersk container vessels and two partner vessels “are anchored in the area waiting for the passage to re-open”. The “impact on the global supply chain” would depend on how long “the route remains impassable”, she added. Meanwhile, Hapag-Lloyd reported five of its vessels were affected by the blockage and that it was “presently looking into possible vessel diversions around Cape of Good Hope.”
“We don’t have any clear indication when the vessel will be refloated again,“ the Hamburg-based company said in a statement. According to experts, the canal accounts for around 10% of international maritime trade, and in 2020 nearly 19,000 ships used it. – AFP