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SINGAPORE: Port operator PSA may see schedule disruptions if the blockage of the Suez Canal caused by a stuck container ship is prolonged, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Thursday (March 25).
In a Facebook post, Ong likened the incident to a large tree falling across the Central Highway, affecting all other highways linked to it.
“It may mean that supplies to the region are temporarily cut off,” he wrote.
“If that happens, it will be necessary to reduce some inventories.”
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The Suez Canal is a crucial shortcut between Asia and Europe that prevents ships from having to navigate the southern tip of Africa. Approximately 30 percent of the world’s shipping container volume transits the 193 km canal daily.
Mr. Ong pointed out that sailing around the African continent means that the trip would take a week or two more.
“If the outage is prolonged, PSA may see schedule disruptions when shipping lines divert their trips. You will have to plan ahead and make sure operations remain smooth,” he added.
“This is another unfortunate incident that illustrates how the world is now so closely intertwined.”
A satellite image shows the Ever Given container ship sitting sideways in the Suez Canal, blocking all traffic. (Photo: AFP / Planet Labs)
The 400-meter long Ever Given vessel, one of the world’s largest cargo ships, got stuck in the single-lane stretch of the southern canal on Tuesday morning.
It lost the ability to maneuver amid high winds and a dust storm, becoming lodged at an angle across the waterway and blocking traffic through one of the busiest shipping channels in the world.
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Recovery of the ship could take “days or weeks,” said the head of a Dutch salvage company that sent experts to help with the task.
“We cannot exclude that it could take weeks, depending on the situation,” said Peter Berdowski, CEO of the Dutch company Boskalis.
A total of 156 large container ships, oil and gas tankers, and grain-carrying bulk vessels have jammed at both ends of the canal, Egypt’s Leith agencies said, creating one of the worst shipping jams ever seen. in years.
