Everything About The Suez Canal Incident, Where the World’s Largest Container Ship is Blocking Traffic & Supplies

By
Shawn Ambrose
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It can seem like your instant coffee and other daily necessities sprout from the ground because they’re always in Giant Singapore.

But they often travel a long way before arriving on the sunny shores of Singapore.

We’ve all heard of flight delays, but what happens if an entire waterway is blocked and we can’t get certain supplies?

Well, that’s exactly what’s happening in the Suez Canal.

What is the Suez Canal?

While the Suez Canal sounds like a Spanish pop star, it’s actually a waterway in Egypt that connects Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Egyptian city of Suez on the Red Sea.

The canal provides a more direct shipping route between Europe and Asia, eliminating the need to go around Africa and cutting voyage times by days or even weeks.

So, what’s the problem now?

Large Container Ship Stuck in the Suez Canal like a “Beached Whale”

Much like the CTE during peak hours, the Suez Canal is currently experiencing the sea equivalent of a traffic jam.

That’s because one of the world’s largest container ships recently got stuck in the canal, blocking traffic along the busy trade route.

The ship, Ever Given, ran aground on Tuesday (23 March) after it lost the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm.

Tugs and diggers have so far failed to dislodge the 400m-long, 224,000-tonne ship, resulting in a blockage of transit in both directions.

Around 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, which is why over 200 vessels were stuck in the waterway on Thursday (25 March), waiting for the Ever Given to be freed.

But experts warn that this could take days.

So, How Will We Be Affected?

As our Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Thursday, the Suez Canal is closely connected to the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which cates to one-third of global seaborne trade.

The two waterways are closely connected and link up Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

“To have the Suez blocked is akin to a big tree falling across the CTE. Every other expressway linked to the CTE will be affected.”

As for the average Singaporean, we may face some inconveniences such as products being unavailable or longer shipping times.

Supplies to Asia may be temporarily disrupted, Mr Ong said, which means some drawdown on existing inventories may become necessary.

No Reason to Panic Buy

While the blockage may affect your instant coffee, necessities such as toilet paper are sourced from Asia, so please don’t rush to the supermarket and stock up on toilet paper or panic buy.

Consumer prices are also unlikely to rise much as freight charges only make up a fraction of the price of goods.

Shipping rates, however, are spiking, as global supply chains which were already strained by the pandemic face another hurdle.

A similar incident happened in 2017, when a Japanese container vessel blocked the canal after it ran aground due to mechanical issues.

The Egyptian authorities managed to free the ship within hours through the use of tug boats.

For the sake of Nescafe lovers here, let’s hope that this large ship is dislodged soon.

Featured Image: Facebook (Ong Ye Kung)

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]