IN PICS | Gigantic Ship Stuck In Egypt's Suez Canal Imperils Global Trade, Oil Supply

A handout picture was released by the Suez Canal Authority on March 25, 2021 shows the Taiwan-owned MV Ever Given (Evergreen), a 400-metre- (1,300-foot-)long and 59-metre wide vessel, lodged sideways and impeding all traffic across the waterway of Egypt's Suez Canal. (Image: AFP)

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority said it was temporarily suspending navigation until refloating of the MV Ever Given ship was completed on one of the busiest maritime trade routes. (Image: AFP)

The Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground Tuesday in the narrow, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula. In the time since, efforts to free the ship using dredgers, digging and the aid of high tides have yet to push the container vessel aside. (Image: AFP)

Egyptian officials and others were due to begin work again to free the vessel Thursday morning after halting for the night. So far, dredgers have tried to clear silt around the massive ship. Tug boats nudged the vessel alongside it, trying to gain momentum. (Image: AFP)

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, the company that manages the Ever Given, said the ship's 25-member crew are safe and accounted for. The ship had two pilots from Egypt's canal authority aboard the vessel to guide it when the grounding happened around 7:45 am on Tuesday. (Image: AFP)

Canal service provider Leth Agencies said at least 150 ships were waiting for the Ever Given to be cleared, including vessels near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea, Port Suez on the Red Sea and those already stuck in the canal system on Egypt's Great Bitter Lake. (Image: AFP)

An initial report suggested the ship suffered a power blackout before the incident, something Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement denied Thursday. Initial investigations rule out any mechanical or engine failure as a cause of the grounding. (Image: AFP)

The closure could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Mideast, which rely on the canal to avoid sailing around Africa. The price of international benchmark Brent crude stood at over USD 63 a barrel Thursday. (Image: AFP)

Thirteen ships passed through the canal on Wednesday despite the mishap. The Suez Canal provides one of Egypt's main sources of income, alongside tourism and remittances from expatriates. (Image: AFP)

The stranding Tuesday marks just the latest to affect mariners amid the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands have been stuck aboard vessels due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, demands on shipping have increased, adding to the pressure on tired sailors. (Image: AFP)