There has been a protracted traffic jam for vessels at Egypt’s Suez Canal into Wednesday several hours after a stranded container ship blocked the busy shipping strait on Tuesday.
The canal is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world but traffic through it was halted after an ultra large cargo vessel called the Ever Green ran aground while crossing the strait, north of the port of Suez.
After several hours, several boats were sent to the scene in a desperate bid to tug the Ever Green (400m long and 59m wide).
It was en route from China to The Netherlands when strong winds blew it off course.
The Suez Canal an artificial waterway linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea but dividing Africa and Asia, is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
In 2012 alone, over 17,000 vessels had used it with an average of 47 ships daily.
It was officially opened on 17 November 1869.
WN/as/APA