On Thursday, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said a container ship ran aground at the 54km mark in the maritime channel. As a result, four ships travelling from Port Said in the direction of Suez had been held up.

       Local reports said the SCA has been forced to suspend navigation while work to free the ship is ongoing.

       It comes months after the Ever Given container ship blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week after running aground in the narrow channel.

       On March 23, 2021, the ship ran aground diagonally after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm according to the SCA.

       In a separate statement, Evergreen Marine said that it had been told the ship "was suspected of being hit by a sudden strong wind, causing the hull to deviate from [the] waterway and accidentally hit the bottom".

       The ship was freed on March 29, and was later impounded by the Egyptian government for refusing to pay a reported $916 million in fees.

       MORE TO FOLLOW