The head of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie said that roughly 321 ships in the canal are waiting to cross the vital waterway after the “Ever Given” ship blocked their path. Immediately after the accident, the SCA dispatched three tugboats and quickly dealt with ships in the waterway after closing the southern lane of the Suez Canal, he added. The Suez Canal Authority in Egypt earlier announced it would hold a press conference on Saturday afternoon to comment the efforts made to refloat the stranded “Ever Given” Panamanian container ship, stuck sideways in the vital trade artery. The disruption of navigation through the Suez Canal has cost global trade about US$400 million per hour, equivalent to about $6.66 million per minute. According to BBC data based on information from navigation tracking devices, more than 160 ships are held up in front of the Suez Canal, and include 24 oil tankers and ships that carry consumer goods.

Source: Egypt Independent March 27, 2021 14:26 UTC