Egypt's Suez Canal has been blocked by a large container ship that ran aground after losing control, causing a traffic jam of cargo vessels in the region.
Tug boats were deployed to help shift the 400m-long (1312ft) and 59m-wide ship - the Ever Given - but there are fears it could remain trapped for days.
The incident occurred just north of the port of Suez early on Tuesday.
The waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.
The Ever Given, registered in Panama, was bound for the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China and was passing northwards through the canal on its way to the Mediterranean.
It became trapped at about 07:40 local time (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday.
The ship, built in 2018 and operated by Taiwanese transport company Evergreen Marine, ran aground and became lodged sideways across the waterway, blocking the path of dozens of other vessels which are now trapped in lines in both directions.
Evergreen Marine said the ship was "suspected of being hit by a sudden strong wind, causing the hull to deviate... and accidentally hit the bottom and run aground," Reuters news agency reported.
A photo posted on Instagram on Tuesday, reportedly taken from on board another cargo ship - the Maersk Denver - directly behind the Ever Given, shows the stranded vessel with what appears to be a small digger clearing sand along the bank.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56505413
Tug boats were deployed to help shift the 400m-long (1312ft) and 59m-wide ship - the Ever Given - but there are fears it could remain trapped for days.
The incident occurred just north of the port of Suez early on Tuesday.
The waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.
The Ever Given, registered in Panama, was bound for the port city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands from China and was passing northwards through the canal on its way to the Mediterranean.
It became trapped at about 07:40 local time (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday.
The ship, built in 2018 and operated by Taiwanese transport company Evergreen Marine, ran aground and became lodged sideways across the waterway, blocking the path of dozens of other vessels which are now trapped in lines in both directions.
Evergreen Marine said the ship was "suspected of being hit by a sudden strong wind, causing the hull to deviate... and accidentally hit the bottom and run aground," Reuters news agency reported.
A photo posted on Instagram on Tuesday, reportedly taken from on board another cargo ship - the Maersk Denver - directly behind the Ever Given, shows the stranded vessel with what appears to be a small digger clearing sand along the bank.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56505413
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