A giant container ship has blocked the Suez Canal in Egypt, bringing marine traffic to a shuddering halt along one of the world's busiest trade routes. This is reported by France 24.
Shipping website Vessel Finder said the ship was bound for Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and it is unclear why the supertanker has stopped moving.
Nearly 19,000 ships passed through it last year with a total tonnage of 1.17 billion, according to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).
It has been a boon for Egypt's struggling economy in recent years, with the country earning $5.61 billion in revenues from the canal last year.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi unveiled plans in 2015 for an expansion designed to reduce waiting times and double the number of ships using the canal daily by 2023.
