Blocked Suez Canal Prompts Piracy Fears As Ships Divert Around Africa

"It just shows you how vulnerable our supply-chain lines are," said Guy Platten, secretary general for the U.K.-based International Chamber of Shipping.

Brand-new Kia automobiles, cases of Heineken beer, live animals and billions of dollars of crude oil and other commodities remained stranded in the Suez Canal throughout the day on Friday. Meanwhile, tugboats and dredgers tried to free a grounded container ship that has come to symbolize the perils of a global economy that relies on goods traveling around the world in larger and larger vessels. The Ever Given, one of the largest container ships ever built, has been stuck in the canal since Tuesday, creating an increasingly expensive traffic jam on both sides of the waterway. Some tankers have already opted to travel around the southern tip of Africa instead, adding weeks to their journeys, through a region known for piracy. "It just shows you how vulnerable our supply-chain lines are," said Guy Platten, secretary general for the U.K.-based International Chamber of Shipping. On Friday morning, the canal's service provider, Leth Agencies, said in a tweet that the Ever Given "remains grounded in the same position" with tugboats and dredgers working to dislodge the vessel, which is blocking the flow of an estimated $12 billion in goods.