Container ship leased by Evergreen blocks Suez Canal

A giant container ship leased by Taiwan's Evergreen Marine is stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in one of the busiest waterways in the world. The mega vessel, which weighs 200,000 tons, ran aground while passing through the Egyptian canal on Tuesday. Tug boats and excavators are working to free the ship, but experts fear the operation could take days. Evergreen says it will handle claims for compensation after clarifying liabilities with the ship's owner.

Here at the mouth of Suez Canal, there’s a long wait for the freighters wanting in.

An ultra-large container ship is stuck sideways in Suez Canal, blocking traffic both ways. Splashed across the green hull, big white letters spell out a Taiwanese household name: Evergreen.

On Tuesday morning, the Evergreen vessel “Ever Given” was passing northward through the canal when it was hit by strong wind, causing it to deviate from the channel and run aground. Egyptian authorities immediately sent excavators to free the bow of the ship. But despite frantic digging and eight tugboats pushing and pulling, the Ever Given refused to budge.

The ship started out from China, and was due to arrive in Rotterdam in the Netherlands on March 31. Now it’s lodged in the one of the world's busiest trade routes, making Taiwan the first to block the Suez Canal in this century.

Professor Chang Tsai-hsin, Taipei University of Marine Technology: I was looking at the picture of the little excavator trying to dig out the ship. The image suggests that the depth at which the ship is lying is not so shallow. So this isn’t a simple matter that can be dealt with in a few hours. We might be looking at a few days.

At 220,000 tons, 400 meters long and 60 meters wide, the Ever Given is one of the largest active freighters in the world. Evergreen Marine is leasing it under a time charter. The crew is employed by the ship owner, and it mainly operates on the Far East-Europe route.

Salvage crew have a massive task ahead, and they hope to use high tide to free the ship. In the meantime, hundreds of ships are stuck on both sides of the Ever Given. At a time when freight shipping is at a height, the jam could have a major impact on international trade.