Cargo ship still stuck across Suez Canal, and it may be going nowhere for "weeks"

Cairo — Marine traffic through the Suez Canal remained blocked on Thursday for the third consecutive day, with dozens of ships stuck at both the north and south entrances to the shortest route between Asia and Africa. One of the world's largest cargo vessels turned sideways and got stuck across the narrow canal on Tuesday, and one of the teams in charge of dislodging the vessel has said it could take weeks to get freight moving again.  

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced that navigation through the canal was "temporarily suspended" until the hulking Panamanian-flagged container vessel MV Ever Given can be re-floated. Despite the more dire predictions from the teams brought in to facilitate operation, the SCA said Thursday that it was still hopeful the ship could be moved within 24 hours. On Wednesday the SCA allowed 13 ships to enter the canal's northern end, from the Mediterranean, hoping the Ever Given would be un-stuck quickly and the other cargo vessels would be able to continue on their journeys. But those ships only made it as far as a lake in the middle of the canal, and they may be going nowhere fast.