Egypt: Cargo ship from China blocks Suez Canal
Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Wednesday that it had diverted ships to its old channel after a giant cargo container blocked the course of the new crossing.
“Eight tug boats were continuing the rescue works of a 400-metre-long, 59-metre-wide container ship, which is among the largest in the world, that has turned sideways in the Suez Canal,” said the SCA in a statement.
The 224,000-tonne Ever Given, a Panama-flagged container ship, coming from China to Rotterdam, was grounded on Tuesday in the new passage after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm, the SCA added.
“Navigation in the old channel is working regularly now,” it said, adding that the authority was sparing no effort to ensure regular navigation through the canal and to serve the world trade movement.
The Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global seaborne trade since it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 kilometres.
Some 12 per cent of the world trade volume passes through the man-made canal, which is a major source of hard currency in Egypt.
The Canal was expanded with a parallel course in 2015, where the ship was grounded.
(Xinhua/NAN)
More from Peoples Gazette
NationWide
Buhari approves N110 million to overhaul generator, N8 billion to rehabilitate secretariat
The FCT minister said about N8.1 billion would be used to rehabilitate the secretariat and N110 million to overhaul a generator.
Politics
Presidency denies Buhari-Tinubu quarrel as EFCC probe continues
The disclaimer came on the heels of a Peoples Gazette story that exposed a discreet investigation of Mr Tinubu by federal anti-graft office EFCC.
Education
Gov. Abiodun hires security guards for schoolchildren as abduction fear grips Ogun
“We have approved the employment of security men in all our schools. We do not want to be reactive on the issue of security in our schools.”
Diaspora
Nigerian embassies employed foreign passport racketeers to dehumanise Nigerians abroad: Senate
“The only ones who get speedy attention are those that pay to the middlemen or directly to the embassy officials”
Education
LAUTECH student jailed for defrauding American of $104,000
The judge also ordered the seizure of Mr Abiola’s black Mercedes Benz GLK (AKD 573 GK). The money and the vehicle will go to his victim.
Enugu
16 IPOB members killed in clash with police, army in Aba
In a 44 seconds video sent to The Gazette, lifeless bodies of the killed ESN members were seen in the pool of their blood.
