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World Affairs
Pradeep Kumar

26/03/21 10:45 AM IST

Source: The Hindu

Suez Canal temporarily halts navigation

In news

A giant container ship the length of four football pitches has become wedged across Egypt's Suez Canal, blocking one of the world's busiest trade routes"

Details
  • Egypt has reopened the canal's older channel to divert some traffic until the grounded ship can move again.
  • About 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.
  • This is the largest vessel ever to go aground in the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
  • The Suez Canal  is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia.
  • Constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869, it officially opened on 17 November 1869.
  • The canal offers watercraft a more direct route between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans via the Mediterranean and Red seas, thus avoiding the South Atlantic and southern Indian oceans and reducing the journey distance from the Arabian Sea to Europe by approximately 8,900 kilometres (5,500 mi), or 8-10 days.
  • It extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. Its length is 193.30 km (120.11 mi) including its northern and southern access-channels. In 2012, 17,225 vessels traversed the canal (an average of 47 per day).

Graphic showing the blockage in the Suez Canal

Source: The Hindu

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